


Just Let Me Adore You

by SweetSerenades



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Feel Good Fix It, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship/Love, Happily Ever After Fest, Minor Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Minor Poe Dameron/Finn, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Romance, Slight canon divergence in later chapters, Sweet, The Force Ships It, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, angst is limited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21977953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetSerenades/pseuds/SweetSerenades
Summary: As the Resistance plans their next steps to bring a new peaceful order to the scattered galaxy, Rey is burdened by her lost chance at a happy ending. That is until an enemy ship crash lands on Ajan Kloss - piloted by none other than Ben Solo.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 33
Kudos: 204





	1. Would you believe it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd write this feel-good fix it fic and try to put some extra love out there in the Star Wars world! There will be lots of discussion/authors notes at the bottom as I discuss my trains of thought!
> 
> *** This chapter just received a revision to match my more recent writing style - so the decline in quality next chapter is not intentional I promise! I am hoping to go through and touch up the story without creating any kind of hiatus/delay in my next update :) 6/2/20 ***

Rey closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the second sun sets on the Tattoine horizon. She allows the strang feeling in the force to flow through her, like a brisk breeze in the harsh desert climate. This planet was dry and desolate, much like Jakku, but somehow teeming with an energy she'd never felt before.

Rey ran her hand along her newly crafted saber hilt, gasping softly as she remembered how it felt to ignite Luke's saber…Anakin's saber… _Ben_ 's saber.

Rey winced as his face flashed through her mind once more, reminding her of the emptiness in her heart. When he left her, she expected to feel broken - cut in half - like a piece of her was missing…but instead, she'd just felt sad. Like a piece of her was just muted, or rather, cloaked in darkness.

As Rey blinked away her tears, BB-8 chirped beside her. "You're right. It is beautiful…" Rey wiped her hand across her nose, hiding her teary eyes with a sniffle. _There is no time for that now._ The droid beeped softly at her in concern. "Oh no, I'm fine. Just some sand in my eyes. We should get back before anyone worries." Rey smiled at the little droid and nodded towards their ship.

The pair made their way back to the Falcon as the desert sand began to swirl around them. "I guess every desert planet must get nasty sandstorms…" Rey mused aloud as she closed the ramp. She knelt down and brushed the sand of BB-8, adjusting his antenna before he rolled away.

She stopped by to leave her lightsaber in her bunk - not Han Solo's original room, according to Chewie. It was much smaller than say, Poe and Finn's spacious captain's quarters, but still perfect for her. A standard-issue bed and a shelving unit that looked like it was perfect for a single guest. _Or a young boy who accompanies his Father on his adventures._

Rey shook her thoughts away and made her way back into the cockpit. She knocked on the threshold to greet the sleeping Wookie. "I'm back!" He grumbled as he came to. "I told you it would be a short trip." Rey took a seat in her pilot's chair, punching in the coordinates for Ajan Kloss. As they rose out of the atmosphere, Rey stares blankly at the stars.

She'd completed her mission - returning the lightsabers to the birthplace of the Skywalker family. She thought it was going to give her closure, help her face the uncertain future with newfound hope. _I feel more lost than ever…I wish Leia was here…_

Chewie growled softly at her, noticing Rey's change in mood. "I'm doing a lot better. Don't worry about me." She gave him a smile and focused on the controls as they shot into hyperspace. Rey could feel Chewie staring at her in concern on and off the entire journey back to base.

The chaos of the landing crew allowed Rey a chance to escape any further questioning from her co-pilot. It's best not to worry him… She dove into busy work as Rose presented her with a list of items that needed to be carted onto the Falcon. Most of the Resistance was drowning in work to prepare for the new base Lando was setting up in a nearby system.

In passing, Poe reminds Rey of their celebratory dinner that evening - before they all go on their separate missions in the next system. "I'll be there! Can't have any nonsense right?" She calls back to him as he jogs towards the center of the base. Poe Dameron was a busy man before, but his recent promotion proved to be an incredible fit. "I would hope so! The ship is your baby after all!" His words make Rey cringe, reminding her suddenly of the last thing she'd done before leaving for Tattoine.

Rey made her way towards the edges of the campsite where the makeshift infirmary was. Medical droids buzz back and forth throughout the gutted cargo ship, assisting the patients as they filter through.

"Hi Rey!" Lieutenant- _Commander_ Kaydel Connix kicks her legs over the side of her cot, wincing as she sits up. "You can have my spot if you need it!"

"How's your leg?" Rey sat beside her.

Kaydel rubbed her knee. "Getting better every day. I'm doing a lot better than most." She rose to her feet, accepting Rey's hand for help. "See you at dinner?"

Rey nods with a smile and turns her attention to a droid as it approaches her. She extends her arm and lets the droid take a sample to identify her. "Subject 1455 Report is almost ready. No current health observations needed."

"I'll see if Chewie can stop by for it later." "Affirmative." The droid scooted away as Rey stood to make space for the next person limping in. "Thank you."

Rey wrung her hands together as she walked out of the infirmary, hoping to shake off some of her nervous energy. Poe had insisted she'd take a full medical checkup after returning from Exogul for her injuries, but Rey refused. It wasn't until a day later, during one of her more vivid nightmares when Rey had felt something that frightened her into taking more tests.

* * *

_"No…No….NO! NO! NO!" Rey sat up in her bed, sweat dripping down her face as her eyes focused in the dark quarters. Her breathing came out in short, uneven gasps. Moments later, Finn and Poe came stumbling through her door to check on her._

_"Rey?!" Finn pulled up on his sleep pants. "What's wrong?!"_

_Rey shook her head. "I-I'm fine. Just a nightmare about...h-him..." Her friends came close and sat on the edge of her bed. "It's alright Rey." Finn smiled at her. "You're safe now." "He can't hurt you anymore." Poe reached out and rubbed her arm. His touch made her flinch violently.  
_

_"Him…" Rey cringed again at the word. "T-The Emperor…right…" She ran a hand over her hair and winced as her palm rubbed one of her more tender injuries. Finn reached forward and poked her shoulder.  
_

_"You need to see a med-droid tomorrow…I know you still haven't had these wounds checked on."_

_Rey nodded, staring at her hands. "I will." The pair rubbed her shoulders affectionately and got up to leave. "We're just around the corner if you need us."  
_

_Rey's heart ached at the thought of interrupting them again. As her door shut, she relaxed against her sheets and stared at the ceiling. The visions from her dream flashed through her mind as she shut her eyes: a bright dazzling smile, a strong pair of hands around her waist, soft lips whispering sweet nothings into her hair, and the warm feeling of a small child in her arms.  
_

_It wasn't what she'd seen that had upset her - the nightmare was waking up.  
_

* * *

Rey made her way through the camp, waving a passing greeting to anyone who called after her. It had been nearly a week since the battle and everyone was still in high spirits - with parties and merriment almost every night.

As Rey climbed up the Falcon's ramp, she was greeted by Rose and Jannah. "There she is! Come sit!" Rose pulled her towards some crates adjacent to where the boys were bickering with Zorri over a game of Dejarik. They were apparently losing.

"HOW DID YOU JUST WIN?" "IT'S HER FIRST TIME PLAYING!" "THIS IS RIGGED!"

Zorri flashed a lewd gesture at the Generals and fell back against her seat. Rey admired the dark curls that cascaded down Zorri's back as she tilted her head and laughed. Now that her life of crime was over, Zorri had been not-so-easily convinced by Poe to go without her helmet, revealing her stunning beauty underneath. To says she'd become the talk of the base was an understatement.

"Here you are!" Jannah pulled Rey from her thoughts as she handed her a glass of dark wine. "I'm sure you'll be needing that." Rey took a sip of the bitter liquid and tried her best not to make a face. "I feel like they'll be at this for hours. Should we stop them?" Jannah smirked.

Rose took a seat at their feet and shook her head. "There's no way I'm getting in the middle of that. If they get another game going we'll never go over our business!"

"I think we're in luck."

Just then, Kaydel snuck her way towards the game table and feigned a fall, shutting the game off as she caught herself. "Oh no! _Who_ did that? Perhaps we can start the actual meeting now?"

Poe throws his hands up in defeat and takes his seat. "Alright FINE! Fine, we should get to it. Listen up, everyone!"

Rey listens intently as Poe reviews everyone's plans for the next cycle. Jannah was to accompany Lando to one of the closest systems and secure a new location for a Resistance base. Finn would join them shortly after, launching their program to find the missing children and rehabilitate defected Stormtroopers. Poe, with the help of Kaydel, would hold face as Resistance leaders as they helped establish the reformed Galactic Republic on a planet called Naboo. Rose and Zorri would lead the peaceful evacuation from Ajan Kloss when the time came, as well as cataloging as many refugees as they could.

"And that just leaves our _token_ Jedi, Rey. You have free pickings as to where you'd like to start. Any ideas?" Poe grinned as all eyes fell on Rey. She shook her head on instinct, not really knowing what to say. "I can go wherever I am needed. I don't mind accompanying you to Naboo."

"I'm sure the leaders would be pleased to meet the girl who saved the galaxy." Finn put his glass in the air, everyone else following suit.

Rey rolled her eyes. "I would have never done it without-" Her words stalled in her throat, making her pause. "...without all of you." She took a quick drink from her glass, letting the sharp taste of the wine hit her. Rey, unfortunately, felt the strain in the Force as Finn's concern washed over her, followed closely by Poe's confusion.

Rey took a breath as the attention drifted from her to whatever c3p0 had to say. She could feel her sadness and anger coming in waves, the darkness in her poking at the back of her mind like an annoying headache. Rey brushed it off and finished her drink. _You should meditate before bed, that'll shake this._

Chewie made his entrance loudly, distracting Rey from her negative thoughts. He tossed a datapad to her as he juggled two plates in his other hand. "Oh thank you!" Rey perked up as she flipped her report open quickly. "What is that?" Rose craned her neck to peer at it. "It's my medical report from my checkups yesterday. Poe insisted I have my injuries looked at before going to Tatooine…" "Finn told me you were having trouble sleeping."

"Just a bit…and from the looks of it I'm good as new…" Rey scrolled through the report's positive markings. She was in perfect health. "What's that say in bold down there?" Rose tapped the screen, struggling to read it upside down from where she sat. Rey's eyes fell on the very last lines of the report - under her special requests.

SUBJECT 1455 - CONTRACEPTION IMPLANT: ACTIVE - PREGNANCY SCAN: NEGATIVE ( - )

Rey let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, a wave of relief washing over her. Followed by a wave of sadness, then disappointment, then pain. _Had you wanted that answer to be different? Had you hoped that somehow…someway…the Force could've gifted you a piece of hope…  
_

_Something that reminds you of him._

Rey scrunched her eyes shut as the memory of him rippled through her soul. His voice was a distant memory, his eyes, his hair, his lips. _It's all too much._

"Rey…" A voice startled her. "Rey, are you alright?" Rey looked up at Finn, who has taken Rose's place crouched at her feet. She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked around and found everyone staring at her - all visibly taken aback by her change in mood. "Whoa whoa come here!" Finn exclaimed.

Rey felt the datapad be removed from her hands and Finn's grip on her waist as he helps her to her feet. She shuffles awkwardly beside him as he guides her to her quarters. "It's gonna be okay."

Rey takes a seat on her bed, sitting upright against the wall and crossing her legs. She lets out a quiet sob as Rose takes a seat beside her and rubs her shoulder. Finn sits on her opposite side, wrapping his arm around her waist. After convincing the rest of their companions that everything was fine, Poe sits down carefully on the opposite edge of the bed with BB-8 at their feet.

They wait in solemn silence until Rey's breathing begins to slow. "Rey…" Finn runs his free hand over her cheek. "Please tell us what's wrong. You have something on your mind…"

Rey feels it - his power in the Force - poking at her like the sharp end of a staff. They hadn't really talked about 'it' since Exogul - and she'd wanted him to be comfortable to bring it up to her himself.

Rey sighs, the embarrassment of her outburst suddenly catching up to her. She carefully tries to untangle herself from his embrace. "I'm sure you all won't believe me if I said I was fine?"

"Nope." "Are you nuts?" "Not even a little bit" They all answer in unison. Rey can't help but laugh lightly. "Then I guess I better start talking.…" _But where to start…_

Rey tells them about the morning she woke up and discovered she was bound in the Force with Kylo Ren. Their surprise doesn't phase her as she explains her poor training with Luke as best she can, the darkness that had been growing inside her, and how each time she connected with Kylo she learned more about him.

"So the _entire_ time you were on this planet Kylo Ren could talk to you….and find you?" Poe snorts.

"Well not quite...and we never shared that with each other. Well...I never did and he never asked. It was usually just...him. We would argue…and then he would ask me if Luke had told me the truth…" Rey swallowed. "There was a night…where I traveled somewhere alone seeking answers about my parents. I didn't find them...and I was so lost…but _he_ was there…"

"Luke was there?" Rose asked, her tone giving away that she already knew the answer.

Rey shook her head softly. "No…it was…Kylo. " _Just say his name_. "Luke found us connected in the Force and tried to send me away. _That's_ when I learned the truth - he'd nearly killed Kylo when he was his student…" _Say his name dammit._ "So that's when I knew…Kylo Ren could be turned back to the light. So I went to him on Snoke's ship."

Finn and Rose exchange a shocked glance. " _You_ were on the Supremacy?" "At the same time as us?!"

Rey nodded. "He brought me to Snoke and for a moment I was worried I had made a terrible mistake. But…when the moment came and he ordered Kylo to kill me…he didn't. He killed Snoke and we fought off his guards together."

Poe's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Kylo Ren killed Snoke?! And you never told us! He helped you?!"

Rey nodded. "I can't even describe it...it was like we could read each other's minds. Kylo and I...we...everything felt like it was going to change. But when the fight was over..he was so confused... and he offered me something I could not take...he..."

Rey struggles between breaths to continue, Rose and Poe exchanged confused glances. "W-What do you mean? Like quarter?" Finn squeezed Rey's hand. "You can tell us, Rey."

"Kylo...offered me his hand. He offered me the whole galaxy...we would rule together and bring a new order...but I knew I couldn't let you all die so we fought again. An explosion knocked us apart-"

"-Holdo..." Rose finished her thought for her as Rey nodded absently. "And thankfully I woke first. I put his lightsaber back on his belt so he'd look innocent to the Order and I took an escape pod back to the Falcon."

Poe shook his head in disbelief. "Did Leia know this?"

"I could never find the strength to tell her. I didn't believe Kylo would ever come back...but I think she always knew the truth..." Her lips quivered as the words tumbled out of her. "And I was wrong for doing that. She deserved to know the truth after everything she's done..." Rey could see in her friend's eyes she was making less and less sense.

Poe ran his hand through his hair. "So after Crait...when, we escaped…were you still stuck in your little bond...thing?"

"Yes. Snoke had told us he'd created the bond - but that was a lie. We were able to keep our distance...somehow the Force kept a barrier between us and when it opened I could sometimes feel him close it back off. Once I grew stronger I could do the same. For a while, it felt like he was no longer interested in where I was because there was no way our bond could lead him to the Resistance. He just saw... _me_."

Rey recalled those days the bond would reconnect them - when she'd be working inside the Falcon and he would appear. He was always looking away from her, never allowing himself to meet her gaze. She picked up meditation from the Jedi texts as quickly as she could - learning to shield her mind from him before the Resistance touched down on Ajan Kloss.

The memory of his voice struck Rey once again. _Wherever you are…you are hard to find._ "...After the Emperor's message spread throughout the galaxy I began to feel his unease. He was desperate to find what he was looking for...the other Sith Wayfinder...which led him straight to Palpatine."

Finn perked up at her side. "When we were on Pasanna you connected with him didn't you. That's how the First Order found us so quickly?"

"It was the first time we'd spoken in a long time...he took my necklace...the one from the natives-"

"Hold on! You two could touch each other?!" Poe interrupted, Rey's cheeks flaring red at the double meaning of his accusation. "I-I...yes...we could..."

"Why does that matter?" Finn scoffed. "I don't know- I just found it surprising? He could grab you?" BB-8 chirped beside Poe. "NO that's not what I'm saying!"

Rey shook her head furiously. "Our moments were very limited and there was this line between us that never got crossed...that is...until Pasanna. He came after us because he wanted me to use my power to its full potential. He was trying to show me what I was capable of of...because...Palpatine had told him the truth about my parents. I didn't want to believe it, not even when he told me in person on his ship...but, he was right..."

"Right about what?" Rey stared at Finn as she processed his premature acceptance. _It's like he knows what you're going to say._

"Right about my parents. My father was the child of Emperor Palpatine. I am...was a Palpatine by blood. It was my destiny to become a power in the dark side of the force." She takes a breath, Poe and Rose's shock hitting her like a slap in the face.

"When Kylo and I fought on Kef Birr, I almost murdered him in my moment of rage and...it was Leia who saved us both. When she passed...we could both feel it...and in a moment of remorse...I healed him. I went to Exogul and learned I was to kill the Emperor and take his place as leader of the Sith." Rey closes her eyes, feeling more tears threatening to spill over.

"B-Kylo...came after me anyway, the power of our bond was revealed and Palpatine used it to revive himself. We thought we were done for..but I felt this incredible power - the power of every Jedi there ever was flowed through me. I took the Skywalker sabers and defeated Palpatine myself. And then...I felt my life force draining...I felt myself..."

Finn nodded. "I felt it too. You were...dying…" He squeezed her hand, urging her to continue. "...but how did you come back?"

"I..." Rey takes a moment to look at each of her friends. Rose and Finn's eyes are wide with wonder, but Poe's murky expression makes her anxious. "I woke up in the arms of B-Kylo. He healed my wounds...and restored my life force...he saved me. And he-" Rey sniffles as new tears bloomed in her eyes. "He was my last hope. He always was." Rey allows herself to start sobbing softly again. Rose and Finn hold her tight, their own tears dripping on her shoulders.

Rey hears Poe clear his throat and looks up at him as he gracefully wipes at his own eyes. "Well I never thought I'd hear this come out of my mouth, but I'm thankful for Kylo Ren... Without his sacrifice, we wouldn't have you back with us. For that I am grateful." Finn kisses Rey's head softly. "We all are."

Rey wipes her eyes and smiles. "Thank you for being so understanding."

"Thank you for telling us. We want to help you, Rey...especially with all these night terrors you've been having. You've been through so much." Finn squeezed her again. "And I'm not saying that just because Poe wants to get a full night of sleep for once." - "HEY!"

Rey can't help but laugh as her friends' bickering lightens her mood. Their love was vibrant and strong, a brilliant beam of light in the darkness. For a long time, Rey has only dreamed she could find that with someone…someone to love like that. _And he was so close..._

They all sit together in a more comfortable silence until there is a commotion in the ship's lounge. "What the hell-" Poe gets up to answer the door just as Jannah and Chewie come bursting down the hall. "POE! FINN! COME QUICK!"

"What is it?" "What's wrong!?" Chewie comes barreling in waving his arms and yelling in Shyriiwook. "Slow down Chewie!"

The Wookie growls in protest as Rey starts to rise from her position on the bed. She freezes up - paralyzed by his words - as a new Force signature overwhelms her senses. _There's no way. That's impossible._

"What do you mean there's a tie-fighter entering the atmosphere?! Why the hell would someone be flying a Tie?" Poe turned to Finn. "Did he say, Imperial?!"

Rose got to her feet. "Has there been a transmission? How did they get clearance?!"

Chewie speaks directly to Rey as he repeats the message. Poe shakes his head in disbelief. "Are you SERIOUS?!"

Jannah throws her hands up, clearly exasperated by her language barrier. " _What_ is he saying?"

Finn kneels beside Rey and puts his hand on her shoulder. "He's saying an Imperial Tie-Fighter is heading to our camp...and it's being piloted by...Kylo Ren."

Rey gasped as it finally hit her. _It's real. You're not dreaming._

"Ben!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Notes 2.0: (6-2-20)
> 
> I decided to go in and give this chapter a refurb because I was cringing anytime I tried to read it back. As I said before you may see a small quality decrease (ch 2-3 ish) if this is your first time here but hopefully, it isn't too bad! These first few chapters were written after my initial watch and then I had the chance to see it in theaters a few more times (remember going to the movies? I miss that real bad).
> 
> \- The most significant *change* in this chapter was I reworked a little bit of how Rey explained the bond to her trio of friends + she couldn't say Ben out loud -originally she started calling him Ben circa the 'luke killed' line.
> 
> \- I am staying fixed on the headcanon that Rey and Finn have not discussed his Force powers yet, but she knows they're there and wants him to approach her about it. In my canon - Poe knows already per Finn telling him but also respects his boundaries. Rose and Jannah have a feeling - but again haven't discussed it.
> 
> \- Speaking of knowing things: Rey Palpatine/Skywalker. Again, another conversation the trio hasn't had yet even though the boys figured out something was up. I decided to roll with it for the sake of the scene. Also in this canon, Rey will not "become"/"accept" her identity as a Palpatine, but it can be a plot device if needed. I have a real soft spot for the scene in TROS where Luke says "some things are stronger than blood". I find that scene to be really powerful and I appreciate its point. The Rey 'Skywalker' scene could've happened prior to where this fic starts, but...it's a Reylo fic. She's going to be a Solo someday. We been knew this. So it's cool! 
> 
> \- I realized how random the whole pregnancy test bit is - I was feeling REALLY angsty in December so I think that's where my inspiration came from. That led me to rework the angst around her nightmare and all around, I think it just helped the whole chapter flow better. She was really going through it.
> 
> Other than that, welcome to the party! I really love this fic and I hope you enjoy it too!
> 
> [You can also read my OG Author’s Notes on Fanfic if you’re interested!](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13462178/1/Just-Let-Me-Adore-You)


	2. wonder under summer sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to see such a positive response to this fic! I really don't get to write that often and am really thankful for this small burst of inspiration! I was typing the entire first chapter in past tense and didn't even realize it - so if you catch me struggling with that I apologize! Enjoy!

Rose led Rey, Poe, and Finn to the Falcon's cockpit where a new distress transmission was beeping wildly across the controls. "That code is too old to be First Order...but it's definitely a Tie..." "It just sent out a distress signal?" Finn and Rose took a step back and let Poe read the transmission. "Do we know where it's going to land-Rey...Rey where are you..."

Rey left her companions and shuffled out of the Falcon in a trance. She felt as though a tight rope had snared her waist and was pulling her forward. As she stepped down the ships' ramp she reached behind her and summoned her saber from her quarters. She barely hears Finn shout after her as the weapon slaps into her palm and she begins to jog into the jungle.

"Rey!" "Rey!" "Rey!"

_Rey_

Rey shakes her head. _This can't be real._ As she wandered farther into the thick jungle, she can hear the many voices of the rest of the Resistance who heard the distress transmission. None of their signatures could hold a finger to the overwhelming sensation flowing throughout Rey's entire body. A bright light flashed in the night sky, revealing a Tie-Fighter plummeting towards the earth below.

Rey froze suddenly as the crash of the ship echoed through the trees, shaking the ground with it. Poe caught up to her, struggling to catch his breath. "Rey...Rey we're right behind...jeez...right behind you." He puts his hands on his knees. "We gotta go over something-"

"It's him. I know it is." "And I believe you! But we have to be on the same page here."

She ignored him and started again towards the billow of smoke rising in the trees. "Rey stop!" She turned to the general and frowned at him. "Poe..." "You gotta hear me out for a second. We have a lot on our plates here...the rest of the Resistance doesn't know your story... _his_ story...they still look at him as an enemy. People are counting on us to be leaders we can't just welcome Kylo Ren back with open arms."

Rey glared at him. "Then we'll tell them the truth. They _will_ accept him once they know the truth!"

"And I will make sure of it, but you have to help us get there. If he comes out of that ship looking for a fight I need you to help me stop him..." Rey began to sputter a protest as her friend took her hands in his own. "...Think about this the way Leia would have. She would have absolutely wanted to save her son but she would have to handle it like a Resistance leader, not just a mother. Now I _promise_ I will make sure no one raises a blaster before he does...but if he does you need to put your...feelings aside and help protect everyone." _And then we can focus on bringing Ben Solo home._ Rey's own consciousness whispered back to her, almost taking the tone of Leia's voice.

Rey searched Poe's feelings for any signs of resentment or untruth, but she found nothing. She nodded and stepped away from him as Finn catches up to them. "The ship just crashed and there's only one life sign on board." He didn't sound surprised. Rey turned back towards the direction of the crash site. "I'll go first. Watch my back."

Rey was alone in the clearing as she approached the smoking wreck of the ship. Her heart was slamming in her chest as the Force pulsed around her. _I can feel it. I can feel him._

Without a second thought, Rey reached out with her power and began tearing pieces off the ship off. She could hear the clicks and groans of the old ship parts as they fell to the ground piece after piece. The signatures of the Resistance spread throughout the outside of the clearing, creating a perimeter around the ship. _And you._ Rey could barely hear Poe over the sound of her heart as he shouted orders. "Hold your fire!" Rey grunted as she was able to move the ship's viewport with her power, letting it crash on the jungle floor.

Sitting in the pilot's seat was none other than Ben Solo, covered in sweat and blood. His dark hair was sticking to his head as he coughed and opened his eyes slowly. Rey willed her tears away as they looked at each other. The intensity of meeting his gaze once again was enough to make Rey's knees weak. _He's alive. He's alive._

"...Rey..." He sighed as his head rolled back and he fainted in the pilot's chair. Rey was stuck in her place as his signature took over her own. The whispers of his voice echoed through her mind in time with her racing heart. _ReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyRey_

Poe and Finn shot past her and began helping unbuckle Ben from the ship. Poe shouted orders for someone to go back to the camp and fetch a speeder. Jannah and Rose appeared beside her. " _That's_ Kylo Ren?!" Jannah scoffed. Rose stepped into Rey's line of sight, waving a hand in front of her face. "Rey are you feeling okay?" She blinked slowly as she kept her eyes on Ben.

_ReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyReyRey_

Despite Rose's efforts to get her back to the camp early, Rey waited for the medics as they cautiously put Ben onto a speeder and started back towards the Falcon. Finn stayed close to her and deflected the many more questions they were getting from the lieutenants. "But General, what are we going to do if he wakes up and attacks someone!" Rey glared at him, scaring the daylights out of the poor recruit.

"His lightsaber is missing and he seems to be knocked out from his injuries. It'll be alright." Finn saluted him. "You are dismissed, lieutenant." The young man skittered off, leaving Rey and Finn alone as they walked behind the speeder. He sighed deeply and stared at her as she kept her eyes on Ben. "Well this night turned around." Rey shakes her head. _I can't believe it._

They followed the commotion into the Falcon and Rey orders the crew to deposit Ben into her quarters. She can sense their unease even as they obey her. Rey hears Poe and Finn clearing out the ship, sans their group of friends - the _Resistance Leaders_. Poe orders the medics to send Chewie back with a med droid and extra rations. Drowned in her own worry, Rey sat on the edge of her bed and stared at Ben as he slept soundly. She relished in the happy hums of the Force as she ghosted her hand over his own. Shortly after the ship cleared out, she could hear Zorri and Poe start shouting at each other down the hall.

"Would someone PLEASE explain to me why we brought _the baddest_ of bad guys into our ship instead of locking him up?!" "Zorri it's more complicated than that!" "OH REALLY?! Then start talking!" Jannah chimes in. "I'm with Zorri on this one! Why isn't he in a cell?" "EVERYONE STOP!" Finn shouted. He took a breath and launched into an abridged version of the story Rey had told them earlier that night. Rey tuned out most of it out and focused on the pulsing of the Force as she traced a pattern on Ben's hand. His heavy breathing seemed to slow and calm as she touched him.

As Finn finished explaining how Ben found her on Exogul, she got up hesitantly and shuffled into the lounge, leaning against the doorway. Everyone turned to face her with worried looks in their eyes, she shrugged. "You can finish."

Finn nodded. "And well...it wasn't Kylo Ren who followed Rey to the Emperor. He turned back to the light side of the force. He saved Rey and gave his life for her own...or so we thought..."

Zorri shrugged and leaned back into her seat. "I guess it'll take a little more convincing once he wakes up. Kylo Ren did a lot of damage. Damage we can't be certain the rest of the galaxy will forgive him for." "Zorri-" "You can call him whatever you want Poe but I'm just being realistic. Kylo Ren is an enemy of the Resistance. He's our enemy. Am I speaking another language or is that not making sense to everyone?"

"Kylo Ren is also the son of Princess Leia." Poe snaps. "A beloved symbol of hope throughout the galaxy."

"As if that matters now! She's gone!" Zorri sneered.

Rey clenched her fists and began to conjure a response, but she was interrupted by the feeling of a hand against her back. She gasped as the touch sent a shock up her spine, her own Force signature weaving with the one beside her. _Ben._

"Ben Solo."

Rey's friend's all jumped in shock as they acknowledged the deep voice. Rey couldn't stop herself from smiling softly as Ben - _her Ben_ \- looked down at her with a small smile and then turned back to her closest companions.

"My name is Ben Solo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. i get so lost inside your eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello hello! Another shorter chapter today because I want to go in a make some changes to what I drafted for chapter 3 originally. I'm not here to slow burn but I'd rather deliver some smaller pieces one by one rather than waiting a week to post a long chapter. I hope that's okay! In-depth notes at the bottom! Thanks for reading! (recently revised!)

Rey's heart skips a beat as she takes in the sight of the man beside her. _He's alive_. With all her might, Rey pulls her gaze away from Ben and back to her friends. She is met with their various confused expressions and her heart sinks. _They have to understand...they must..._

Finn is the first to speak. "Glad to see you could join us...Ben...mind explaining to the rest of us how the hell you survived a planet _exploding_. Rey filled us in on you showdown with the Emperor..."

Ben and Rey look back at each other as he finished his thought. They share a shaky breath as the memory of the Emperor's wrath flashes between them. Rey sees a glimpse herself in Ben's eyes, lifeless on the temple floor. _Dead._ She gets a taste of the intense feelings that swirled through him as he'd healed her, as she'd opened her eyes and looked at him again, and as she kissed him.

Ben struggles to speak. "Well-I..." He shifts his weight away from Rey and groans in pain, his knees buckling beneath him. Rey catches him as he falls forward, her hand pressing on his chest as the Force supports his weight. The touch sends another shock through them, their Force signatures flaring with mixed feelings. "I think my leg is broken..." Ben wheezes.

Rose jumped up from where she was sitting. "The interrogation can wait Finn. He needs a med droid and a bacta infusion _now_. I'll go check on Chewie's status." Finn steps forward and helps Rey get Ben to a chair.

Poe strides closer to them and leans against the table. "Rey you've been awfully quiet. That's not like you." Rey takes her eyes off Ben as he sits and frowns at her friend. "I'm...I'm a little overwhelmed by how the Force has reacted to all this. It's very..."

"Overwhelming..." Ben finished her thought. Rey's breath falls short as she looks at him, _really_ looks at him. He's just like she remembered - with his long face and his dark hair and his broad shoulders. She senses just how _overwhelmed_ he is as well through the bond. _He missed you._

Zorri scoffed in disgust, yanking them both from the trance. "Oh, so that's what this is. So the Last Jedi was fraternizing with the enemy all along and we're just supposed to be okay with that?"

Rey glared at her. "Watch yourself."

"Or what? You'll Force choke me? Torture me? Blow up a planet? Or is that your boyfriend's job?" Rey's nostrils flared as she stepped away from Ben. "I said...watch yourself..." Jannah immediately stepped between the two women. "That's enough! Both of you!"

Rey feels the pull of Ben's mind from behind her. _Rey...don't do this...it's not going to help..._ Ben's voice whisper in her head. Rey retreats from her defensive stance, leaning against the table.

Zorri crosses the room without another word, slamming the ramp controls as she exits the ship. Jannah sighed. "I'll go after her." She paused to point a finger at Ben. "I'll have some choice words for you later."

Poe snorts and rubbed his forehead. "Well, that went _horribly_. You're really doing a number on our core morale here Solo." Rey shot him a glare before she could stop herself. "Easy there princess, I'm just stating the obvious. He's not the most popular man in the base right now...let alone the _galaxy_." Finn nodded in agreement. "Is it wrong to ask what would Leia do?"

Rey feels a twinge of despair flare through the bond at the mention of Leia. Ben takes a slow, shaking breath as he sits straighter. "She would have needed some form of collateral to risk giving the f _ormer_ Supreme Leader sanctuary among the Resistance leaders." Ben reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thin black cartridge. "This data tape is a backup of _all_ the data on my ship. Every single ship schematic, clearance code, every name of every First Order officer, trooper, mechanic... _financial associate-"_ He extended his arm out to Poe, whose jaw has hit the floor. "It's yours...in exchange for my safety. I can also officially relinquish my title as Supreme Leader of the First Order. You now have what remains of the First Order in the palm of your hand."

"Where did you get that?" Rey gasps, even as she senses the truth. _Someone on Exogul gave it to him...but how?_ Ben glances at her for a moment and nods. _Later..._

Poe stared at the tape, nodding slowly as he processed the weight of their new advantage. He looks between the tape and Ben, calculating his next words. "I'll let you hold onto that..." Finn flails his arms in shock. "You'll _what_?" Poe put his hand up. "...what I'm saying is it may be needed in a more... _diplomatic_ capacity tomorrow - with the others - once word gets out that Kylo Ren is alive."

"Kylo Ren is dead." Ben and Rey say in unison. A small smile appears on Ben's lips and it takes every ounce of Rey's control not to throw herself in his arms and get lost in his embrace. Instead, Rey blushes and puts her hand over his on the table, the Force singing its praises as they touch. _Kylo Ren turned. You helped me._ Ben's quote takes her by surprise. _He remembers._

Poe clears his throat, breaking their moment off. "Anyways...I'm going to give Kaydel an update...see what she can do about assessing morale. I'll expect to see both of you in the morning..." As he leaves, Poe makes a point to cross the room and kiss Finn on the cheek. Rey can feel Ben's surprise flare through her mind, followed by a much more muted longing to do the same to her. She stands up straighter, not allowing his thoughts to catch her off guard in front of her friend. As Poe leaves and the Falcon ramp closes, Finn crossed his arms and smirks.

"Well...it's just us now..." Finn takes a step toward them. Rey feels the recollection of the last time they were all together like this. _Alone, in a cold forest, fighting for our lives._ Finn takes Rey out of her own thoughts. "You had pretty good timing Solo...Rey had just told us about what you did for her..." Rey finds herself incredibly nervous as he pauses. "...and I'm glad I get to thank you properly." Rey watches Ben blink at her friend in surprise. "I-..."

"You did the right thing at the right time. Obviously..." Finn takes Rey's other hand and gives it a squeeze. "And in my eyes that makes you a good man...a _better_ man to say the least. I know a thing or two about crossing over to the other side, so I'll try my best to be here for you...both of you..." Rey smiles wide as she holds back tears. Finn nods at her knowingly and then nods at Ben. "Just do me a favor and don't kill anyone else along the way."

Ben winces at his choice words as Finn looks back at Rey. "There's a lot I don't understand about the Force, but I want to learn. So don't run off into the sunset before you can teach me a thing or two." Rey grabs him with both arms and pulls him into a crushing hug. She squeezes him as hard as she can, hoping his growing powers in the Force can give him just a glimpse of how much she wants to say to him. "Thank you Finn." He hugs her back and she can feel his understanding.

She also feels a mixture of sadness and guilt...even a hint of jealousy. She realizes these feelings are coming from Ben as Finn pulls away from her. He watches them both with sad eyes but recovers quickly. The Falcon ramp rumbles open as Chewbacca came trudging up with a med droid and Rose in tow.

"Chewie wait!" She calls after him. Finn steps out of the way as the Wookie stalks up to the table and stares down at Ben. Rey realizes she's instinctively stepped back in front of Ben in order to protect him. The room is incredibly quiet, sans the mechanic buzzing of the med droid coming up the ramp.

Rey feels Ben's hand press into her waist, encouraging her to step aside. _It's okay._ Rey moves away and there's a beat of an almost awkward silence.

Ben takes a breath and ponders his next words carefully."I...I should probably...apologize-" Chewie cuts him off with a growl. " _I_ smell bad? Have you sniffed yourself lately?" Chewie closes the distance and pulls Ben into a tight hug. Rey's heart swelled at the sight of their reunion. She had to admit, it wasn't she expected.

Chewie growled in Finn's direction and began to lift Ben from the seat, who groaned in pain as he put weight on his leg. Finn quickly came to his aid and they all followed the med droid into Rey's quarters. Rey started to follow them as well, but Rose suddenly stopped her. "I think it's your turn to sit down Rey. Ben needs to get treated for his injuries." As he was being helped around the corner Ben glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Rey. _Listen to her._ _I'll be alright. Please rest._

Rose left her for a moment to grab some leftovers from their dinner. She prepared Rey a plate and sat beside her, taking her other hand as Rey began to eat slowly. "How are you feeling?" "A lot better...but I'm still worried about how everyone's going to react. They don't know him as I do..." Rey feels herself blushing.

"The base was in a frenzy when I went down there...everyone was gossiping and arguing - that is until Poe showed up just now. He told everyone to shut their gobs and get some sleep and everyone listened." "Did he mention Ben?" Rose nodded. "Well...someone did ask him if Kylo Ren was alive. Poe told everyone there was no reason to be concerned...because Kylo Ren is dead."

Rey stops eating and stares at her friend, waiting for her story to continue. She doesn't say anything else. "That's all he said?" Rose shrugged. "You know he's got a flair for the dramatics - plus half the base is still drunk from all the celebrating! But I think it'll really help us ease him into the Resistance. Leia taught Poe a lot more about diplomacy than we thought." Rose takes a sip of her drink.

Rey shakes her head and pushes her plate away, the food suddenly leaving a sour taste on her tongue. "I'll never be one for diplomacy. It almost makes me thankful for the Jedi...the Force...my place in all this..." Rey suddenly feels the weight of her exhaustion, her limbs aching from how much of her power she'd used to tear apart Ben's ship. She leans on the table with one hand, resting her head in her palm. Rose began to rub her shoulder, lulling her tired eyes closed. She tried to fight it, but Ben's encouraging voice whispered through her once again and her eyes shut. _Rey...please rest..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my biggest fears for this story was making my supporting characters too OOC. I firmly believe that if Finn & Poe had the chance to meet Ben Solo they'd be skeptical, but above all, they'd support Rey because he did save her life! Now that doesn't mean they'd ready to plan her a wedding or anything - but I think we all know they wouldn't put their friendship at risk. Poe is going to do what Poe does best - and I think Finn would want to just keep that communication with Rey open so he doesn't lose her. Hopefully, I'm doing them a little bit of justice? I'm trying my best here. Most of all I want this fic to be light heartened and feel-good vs something angsty! If you have opinions on how you think the rest of the group would've handled meeting Ben please feel free to share!
> 
> Another thorn in my side has been how intensely negative all my social media has been about the new movie. I usually find a lot of inspiration on Tumblr by the entire Reylo tag is swallowed by all these crazy theories and sad posts and it's just really bumming me out -_- . I hate to see people so sad over something that I found so moving. So I hope this fic does a little bit to brighten the mood! I promise the next chapter will be a bit longer with the Rey/Ben reunion you've been looking for :)))
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. you don't have to say nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2020! Thank you for being patient with this chapter I had some nye shenanigans to get through and I didn't want to rush this chapter out without giving it some love. Enjoy!

Rey opens her eyes to find herself in the master quarters of the Falcon with a small blanket draped across her waist. She's lying atop the covers fully dressed - minus her boots which someone removed in her sleep. She rolls over with a groan, discovering Finn sleeping soundly beside her.

She sits up, feeling two of her buns droop and pieces of hair fall unceremoniously against the nape of her neck. Rey feels the pull of the bond from the other room and quickly climbs out of bed. She pads as quietly as she can down the hall back to her room, opening her door slowly.

Ben is fast asleep in her bed - her very small bed which is dwarfed dramatically by his massive frame. Rey feels her cheeks flush as she examines how her blankets do very little to cover his bare torso. _I only hope the med droid left him with his pants._ Rey giggled softly at the thought and slapped her hand over her mouth. Ben's eyes shoot open and blink at her slowly, his mind and Force signature blooming with life as he instantly recognized her. He starts to sit up and winces in pain. Rey crosses the room towards him in an instant. "Ben?"

He pushes himself up once more and pulls himself into a sitting position. "It's just my leg. I think I need another patch."

Rey takes the opportunity to focus on finding another med-pack instead of ogling at him. The blanket had continued to fail it's only job and fall across Ben's lap, revealing his toned chest. Rey opened up the med-pack and turned back to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better...now..." He rolled his shoulders as he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at her. Taking her eyes off his biceps, Rey assessed her options and took a seat on the edge of the bed. She set the patches in her lap, put an infusion on her bedside shelf, and dropped the rest of the pack on the floor. She looked up slowly, struggling to meet Ben's eyes as he watched her. "What is it?" "Nothing..." His smile gave him away but Rey didn't press.

Without hesitating any further, Rey reached forward and began removing the spoiled bandage from his chest. Ben gives himself the infusion, which immediately makes Rey worry how many times he's done it before. Surely someone of his rank and status has always had access to a med droid? Rey opens a fresh bandage and reapplies it in the same place, pressing down softly while keeping her eyes focused on her own hands.

As her fingers lingered against his chest, Ben reaches up and takes her hand, moving it from the patch to the center of his chest. Rey can feel the steady heartbeat underneath and takes a shaking breath. A thousand questions tumble through her head - through the bond -, a thousand things she wants to say to him as reality sets her in place.

Not too long ago, Rey had squashed her ideas of Ben Solo returning to the light - _her_ light, her home, her new family. That had stayed with her following the Resistance's victory and she'd been sure she would carry on just like she always did. She hadn't mourned Ben Solo, who had died in her arms. She chose to live the life he gave back to her.

Except now he wasn't dead, he was _very_ alive and holding her hand against his beating heart. Now she had nothing but questions for him and his beating heart.

Rey decided to focus on the one question most important to her. "Ben..." Rey shallows as his fingers tightened against hers. "How did you..." She looked up into his dark eyes. "I felt it. I felt you leave...I _saw_ it...and our bond it..." Ben nodded slowly. "I don't want to frighten you...but I don't truly know."

Rey finds herself shocked by his answer. He continues. "When I woke up my mother was there. She told me where I could find you..." His lips quivered softly at the mention of Leia. "...and the rest of the Resistance...so I got into the Tie-Fighter and I..." As he struggles to find his words, Rey laces their fingers together.

"You came back to me..." Rey leans in slowly with a grin. "I was right."

This makes Ben chuckle - the low sound like music to Rey's ears - and he runs a hand through his hair. He squeezes her hand tightly against his chest. "My father used to tell me women were always right...even when they were wrong...it's a wonder why I didn't listen..."

Rey sees a flash of a memory of a much younger Han Solo lecturing 'her' about the ways of women. Seeing his smug grin once more fills her with so much happiness. Rey rubs her thumb against the base of Ben's palm, releasing her hand from his and using it to push his messy hair behind his ear. The Force thrums in appreciation as her touch lingers against his cheek.

"The Force seems to like it when we're together..." She whispers, letting her thumb pad closer to Ben's lips. His gaze is intense as he turns his face, kissing the inside of her palm softly. Rey gasps as she feels his other hand slid behind her back, pulling her closer to him. Rey lets her eyes flutter shut as Ben leans forward and his lips meet hers.

Their position is awkward, with Rey leaning farther forward than she imagines she would and Ben sitting up too straight. Something was off. She can sense his hesitation through the bond. _He's holding back._ Rey can't blame him either. Their first kiss was electric - full of the life that Ben was giving to her. This kiss is new, different, more like what a first kiss is imagined to be. Rey pushes back on his shoulders, meeting his calculated frown with a smirk. _Trust me._

Rey pushes herself up onto her knees and crawls closer to him - the discarded bandages scattering to the ground. He stares at her almost dumbfounded as she takes his face in both hands and studies it. She traces a finger from his temple to his jaw, spreading the palm of her hand against his cheek as she admired all the freckles on his face. She couldn't help but revel in how soft his skin was, even where he'd once sported his scar.

She feels a pang of regret course through her as she recalled what she did to him that night. _I wonder if_ _I hurt him._ He takes her wrist suddenly. "I will never regret being beaten by you that day...you _saved_ me..." "Did I?" Rey whispers, leaning closer and pressing her lips to his brow. He sighs softly, letting his hand slide down her arm. Rey shook her head. "I must've been a sight...waving the saber around like a maniac..."

Ben chuckles at her words as he slowly wraps her in his embrace. "The girl who bested me. Who took hold of my heart..." His words are less than a mumble as their lips meet again. Rey leans into him and this time, there was nothing timid about their touch. Ben groans as he wraps an arm around Rey's waist and pulls her tight against him. Rey kisses him fiercely, releasing her grip on his face and sliding her hands into his luscious dark hair. Every feeling, every ounce of pain, every moment of helplessness Rey had felt since Exogul evaporated in an instant.

The Force practically erupted around them as they continued kissing each other. Neither of them could keep their hands in one place - Rey couldn't decide between his hair, his neck, his shoulders, his chest. She could feel her head spinning as Ben's lips drift from her own, peppering her jaw with small kisses until he reaches her neck. _Rey_.

His voice overwhelms her senses, but two can play at that game. _Ben...Ben..._ "Ben..." Rey moans, slapping her hand over her mouth as Ben sighs. She suddenly remembers where she is, where _they_ are, and how the door of her quarters is wide open. Ben chuckles underneath her, his warm breath tickling her neck. Rey almost slaps him as he continues his soft kisses along her neck and collarbone. _Ben...we're going to get caught..._ She sighs as he doesn't answer and tightens his grip around her waist. _I don't care. I just want-_

"Mistress Rey! Master Finn!" Rey and Ben freeze as c3po's wiry voice echoes down the hall, followed by the creaking of his steps. Rey pushes herself back and they share a look of panic. She clears her throat. "I'm in my room 3po!"

Rey feels embarrassment ripple through the bond and she watches Ben scramble to gather her blanket as she climbs off the bed. He yanks it over his waist and doesn't look at her as he runs a hand through his hair. Rey's cheeks burn in realization just as the golden droid enter's her quarters.

"Mistress Rey! Oh my goodness and Young Master Solo! It is a pleasure to see you!" "It's good to see you 3po." Ben smiled at the droid.

Poe is close behind c3po, peering into the room. "You two are up early." He does a once over of them both, making a quick observation of their mussed up appearances. He grimaces. "Well, that's...urgh. Nevermind. We're having a meeting to finalize the council plans. You're both expected to be there - and bring the tape, Ben. I'm going to wake up Finn."

Ben nods silently as Poe gestures to him. "And find him something to wear would you Rey? We don't need any _distractions_." She covers her mouth to conceal a laugh as he walks away, c3po following after him. Rey bites her lip and meet's Ben's pained expression. _That was humiliating._ He mutters across the bond. Rey shakes her head. _Well judging on how many compromising positions I've found him and Finn in we're far from being even._

Rey leans down to kiss his cheek but gasps softly as he turns and meets her lips. Rey shoves his shoulder and steps away from him, their distance giving her the space to sweep her eyes over his broad chest. "He's not wrong about your need for a shirt..." Ben pulls at the far end of the blanket. "And the med droid tore the hem of my pants to apply the infusion on my leg. Do you think there are any clothes on the ship I can borrow?" Rey nods before he finishes his thought. "I'll be right back!"

Rey leaves him to navigate through the unorganized storage rooms at the back of the ship where she discovers an old box. She opens it and finds what she is looking for - a box of men's clothes Leia had asked her to keep on the Falcon upon their settlement of Ajan Kloss. She dug through it, finding a dark blue shirt and brown trousers. She held them up and judged their length and stretch against her own small frame.

Satisfied, Rey brought the clothing back to her quarters to find Ben sitting up, kicking his boots off with a groan. She tossed him the pants. "I have a feeling these will fit...Ben?" He cringes. "These were my father's clothes..." He turns the clothing over in his hands. "My mother must have kept them...after..." Rey steps to him in a panic. "Oh I can look for something else you don't-" "They're perfect." He takes the shirt from her. "I'll wear them. I'm sorry for making you worry. Now you have to get ready."

Rey turns away from him to hide her flushed face. She steps back into the hall and finds her shoes sitting outside the master quarters. _Thanks Finn._ She is positive she can hear the generals bickering inside but decides to leave them to it. She slides them back on quickly and makes her way back to her room, finding Ben mostly dressed and fixing his own boots.

Rey crosses the room silently and begins to undo her arm wraps. After she readjusts her tunic and replaces her wraps, she grabs her hairbrush off her shelves and lets down her signature hairstyle. She brushed through her hair quickly and began retying the top bun, leaving the brush on a shelf.

She hears Ben groan and whips around, catching him with the Force as he stumbled forward on his bad leg. She keeps a light hold of him as he stands straight and finishes adjusting his pants. Rey gives him a once over and notices how although the pants fit fine, the blue shirt is strained - stretching ridiculously against his toned chest and shoulders. She catches him also looking her over, his gaze falling on her hair. "I remember the first time I saw you with your hair down...it's a wonder you don't wear it like that more often..."

Rey smiled as she remembered that night - after she returned to her hut on Achtoo and the Force had connected them. He'd been so silent upon their connection, Rey had assumed he was shocked by her haggard appearance, but his memories proved her wrong. _He thought I was beautiful..._ Rey scoffed and tried to distract herself by working on her second hair bun. "The day I wear my hair down is the day I see your hair in buns Ben Solo." "I'll have to remember that..."

Rey feels his presence and tosses a glare over her shoulder. Ben had moved right behind her, his fingers ghosting over the few pieces of hair on her shoulder. She's taken by his gaze, his eyes switching between searching her own and her lips. She can sense him leaning forward and as Rey's eyes begin to flutter closed, he hums softly and reaches past her. He takes her hairbrush from where she left it. "May I?"

Rey can feel her lips open in shock as she nods mindlessly. _He had you by a string, didn't he?_ She watches as Ben assesses his appearance in her small mirror and brushes his hair back. It's so low he has to stand at an angle to see the top of his head. "I need a shower..." He grumbled as he took the brush to his mop of hair again.

Rey smiled as he made faces as it fell in different directions. Her mind wandered to all the other small moments they could share now that the future was theirs. As if reading her mind, Ben set her brush down, stepping into Rey's space and putting a hand on either side of her. He was so incredibly large, taking up more space than Rey could fathom as he cornered her against the shelves.

She tilted her chin up higher to look at him. "I'm happy you're here..." She could barely muster more than a whisper. A soft sigh escapes him as Ben leaned down to capture her lips in a hard kiss, making Rey gasp in surprise. It hits her again, that feeling of absolute bliss. Those warm feelings of complete... _oneness._

They are interrupted by a sharp knock at the door - which Rey had thankfully remembered to close. "Rey! Poe's ready for you! Is Ben up?" Finn called from the other side. "I'll be right there!" Rey calls back. Ben steals one more soft kiss from Rey as they pull apart. He smiles down at her. _I'm looking forward to doing that every day..._

She resists the urge to embrace him again and starts towards the door. _At this rate, we'll never make it out of here._ Rey realizes her inner qualm has an audience as Ben chuckles at her. He gives himself a once over and limps across the room to meet her at the door.

"Shall we?" He smirks at her. Rey takes Ben's hand and laces their fingers together. "Only if we do it ..together."

As Ben and Rey walk together to the middle of the Falcon, they find Poe, Finn, Kaydel, and Rose all waiting for them. Zorri and Jannah are nowhere to be found. Their absence suddenly makes Rey nervous. The thought of how others would react to her and Ben's blossoming relationship makes her stomach churn. _Or whatever we are..._

Sensing her mixed feelings, Ben gracefully shields their joined hands by feigning a deeper pain in his leg, helping Rey have a reason to support his arm with her other hand. Rey can tell by the way Poe rolls his eyes that it wasn't convincing. As they take their seats he begins.

"So as we predicted there are only a few people that know the truth about your being the son of General Organa...but it's going to spread like wildfire. Seeing how you spent your time as Supreme Leader without your helmet that _also_ means you're easy to recognize and it'll be important to keep a low profile. Which shouldn't be hard to do." Poe and Kaydel shrug at each other. "Regardless of whether or not the galaxy knows you, the order has fallen and you are seeking sanctuary. You have surrendered all your FO intel to us, which is your collateral for staying out of a cell and becoming an ally to the Resistance- sound about right?"

Ben nods, removing the tape from his pocket. He glances at Rey and she can see the mischief in his eyes as he sends the tape float gently towards Poe with the Force. Poe rolls his eyes as he catches it. "And for all that it is worth do _not_ attack anyone for whatever reason. No Jedi nonsense...that includes you, Rey."

Rey scoffs at this. "I would never-"

"I may not know _Solo_ here but I know Kylo Ren has a temper and I've also seen what _you_ can do when you're mad." Ben conceals a chuckle poorly as Rey glares at him.

Finn waves his hands. "What Poe is trying to say is we need to make sure we can establish Ben's trust among the Resistance. It won't make sense to every person in our Forces that we've allowed the Supreme Leader off scott free. It's going to be messy, but we'll all get through it if we work together." Rey feels Ben take her hand under the table and lace their fingers with a tight squeeze.

Poe hands the data tape to Rose. "Rose, I'll need you to decode some of this for me so we can have some evidence to present to the council." She nods and smiles. "Looks like I'm going to Naboo with you."

Rey feels Ben tense beside her at the mention of the planet. _Are you alright?_ \- _Ask him if we're going to the planet with them. Please._ Rey doesn't question him and gets Poe's attention.

"Would you still like me to go with you? To Naboo?" He nods quickly. "Oh right yes we were going to have you come with us in the Falcon and just lay low on the estate we're staying at." Rey can sense Ben's swarm of sudden feelings. "We'll know by the second day of meetings what the best way to break it to the council that we have Ky-...Ben with us. Sound good?" Rey nods. Poe waits for Ben's answer as he swallows and nods. "Yes."

Rey pockets her urges to question him further through the bond. Ben turns his attention to her as the rest of the group scatters amongst their tasks. Finn interrupts before Ben can speak. "Rey, would you mind helping me with the last of the cargo crates?" "Of course!" She shares a look with Ben. "I want to discuss this later." She ignores Finn's confused look and follows him across the ship. Chewie comes in and takes her place beside Ben. She can sense Ben relaxing even as he speaks quietly with the Wookie.

_We'll get through this._

_Together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert confetti* look at these babies kissing and being cute. That's truly all I ever wanted for them and I'm so glad I get to try to write it. They just deserve all the love and happiness after being alone for so long. I hope no one is lactose intolerant because this got a tad bit cheesy. But come on! It's a space opera I can't help myself. A few notes:
> 
> \- All fics are a little different but I decided to make my force bond as simple as possible in terms of description. They can sense each other change in feelings in the force and can communicate with each other when they're both consenting to it, but otherwise, Rey's dialogue would be internal. I tried and failed to describe the whole close/opening of mental walls that other fics use so I scrapped it completely.
> 
> \- This will not be the fic you are looking for when it comes to determining how the galaxy is going to forgive Ben Solo. The data tape is really going to be a recipe for success and I don't plan to write a lot of political conflict around his return! I'm just here for the domestic fluff tbh. I've yet to determine if I want to avoid the stereotypical Naboo tropes of your average Reylo fic, but that's TBD at the moment as well!
> 
> I've been through some weird emotions this week as I watch a lot of Reylos turn into complete nutcases even though our ship is literally canon and there's no reason to be upset with the actors of the franchises (if you're not familiar with the John Boyega/Reylo twitter drama do yourself a favor and look it up it's a mess). I just want to keep spreading happiness and be someone who's kind to every shipper. That way we can all be awesome nerds together.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I truly appreciate it!


	5. so I don't take the blame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I apologize for the pause in updates! Thank you for all your kind comments and support! Enjoy!

The hours had passed on sluggishly as Rey was dragged from one task to the next. Finn had followed her around the base helping her load the various cargo onto a lift, but not long after that Chewie had discovered an especially complicated leak on the belly of the Falcon that needed attention. Rey had used her power minimally, not wanting to distract anyone else from their work. She couldn't help but notice the extra looks she was getting from passing members of the Resistance fleet. She avoided the passes of doubt and confusion as best she could, but it was becoming too much for her. _They must think I'm some kind of psychopath._ Leia had taught her to shield herself from others' emotions well, but her distracted heart left her vulnerable. _They'll never understand..._

It also didn't help that the farther she got from Ben, the more resistance she felt between their bond. It felt like she was at the end of a string and each step was harder and harder as it pulled taught. Rey took a few sloppy steps towards a crate and sat with a dramatic huff. "Rey?!" Finn appeared beside her. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine." She smiled up at him quickly.

Finn leaned against the pile of discarded crates and offered her a bag of rations. "Hungry?" "Always." Rey smirked as she reached out and let the packet float towards her. Finn rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I'd be able to do that? Just like you?" Rey nodded eagerly as she popped the rations in her mouth. "Of course!"

"And you'll teach me?" Rey thought about her next answer carefully. An idea popped in her head. "Of course! ...I would love too..." "But?" Her best friend's eyebrow rose. _He can see right through you, can't he?_ "I'm not a master." Rey shrugged. "Your power is _unmatched_!" Rey glanced up at the belly of the ship. "Well...not necessarily..." She met Finn's immediate scowl with a small smile.

"Oh. Oh no I think I'm more interested in _your_ side of the Force Rey! Not the dark!" Rey put her arms up in defense as he continued. "Well...I mean yes you say he turned back but that...means...what does that mean?" Finn crossed his arms. Rey unclipped her saber from her belt and held it out to her friend without a word. Finn took it from her, turning it over in his hands. He ignited the weapon and held the brilliant gold blade at arm's length.

"Are you trying to make a point?" He smirked at her. "I know it can all seem strange at first...but the Force is so much more than a good side and a bad. Kylo Ren used his powers for darkness but those are the same powers I have...the same powers you have too. You have the heart of a Jedi...just like me...and even Ben." Finn's eyes glistened as he smiled at her. "You really think so?" Rey rubbed his shoulder. "I know it." He turned her saber off and handed it back to her.

They walked together back into the ship to check in with the others. Poe grabbed Finn and dragged him away, chattering about some meeting they had to prepare for on Naboo. BB8 scurried behind them, beeping a small greeting to Rey. The main hold of the ship was a madhouse - with so many people traveling in and out of the halls to finish organizing the rest of the cargo. Rey wandered through the gaggles of people and spotted the med droid leaving her room. The pull of the bond catches her instantly as she creeps towards the door. _I'm sure I could spare a moment with him..._

"Hey, Rey!" Rose catches her just before she opens her door. "I had some questions-" As Rey feigns a smile, Rose cuts herself off. "Actually...it can wait. I'll let you have a minute." Rey shakes her head. "No no, I can help-" "Go check on him. I'll distract the boys for you." Rey finds herself releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding as she smiles at her friend. "Thank you..." Rose shrugs and squeezes her shoulder. "Once we get some downtime on Naboo, you and I have a date for some serious girl talk. All these boys are wearing me down." "I would like that."

Rey slips into her room quietly. She finds Ben standing in front of her mirror, shaking a towel through his wet hair. The thought of him attempting to wet his hair in her impossibly small sink makes her giggle softly. He turns to her and pulls the towel off his head. "We keep meeting like this." He smiles at her, tossing the towel on the basin and takes a seat on the edge of her bed.

She crosses the room to sit beside him."I thought I'd check up on you. We're almost ready to depart." "You look tired..." Rey blushes as he tucks a loose hair behind her ear. _Do_ I? "There was a lot to be done. It would've gone a lot faster if we'd had two force users to help..." Their hands slid into each others' with ease. Ben begins tracing a small pattern on her hand as he shrugs. "I wouldn't have wanted to frighten anyone...The more I think about it I'm glad I'm not cooped up in some cell..."

Rey's eyes widen in alarm. "What makes you say that?" "I don't know what I would've done without that intel...or you..." He laces their fingers together tightly. "I wouldn't have let anything happen to you, Ben. You know that." "I do..."

He stares down at their tangled fingers and chuckles. Rey can feel his mood shift from his usual brooding to that of mischief. "Though this is a lot cozier than some cell...I do miss having such spacious quarters." Rey couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at him. "Oh is this not to the _Supreme Leader's_ liking?" "Apparently not."

He smirked at her. "But I can admit it how incredibly _thrilling_ it was to see you in my room all those times." Rey scoffed at him as he released her hand and tucked his arm around her waist. "You're ridiculous." She looked up at him through her lashes, letting her hand fall against his thigh. Ben leaned into her and dropped a light kiss on her cheek. "And to think of what I would've done if we'd been in my quarters _together_..." Rey gasps softly as he runs his hand along her jaw, his implication flashes through her mind. It's not as clear as their memories, but somehow just as vibrant.

"Ben Solo!" She shoves him back as her cheeks burn red. Ben laughs at her and lets his head fall into her shoulder. "I'm kidding..." _No, you're not._ Rey ignores his half-truth and runs a hand through his wet hair as Ben rests his head on her. She fights the urge to fall back against her mattress and hold him. _There's bound to be time for that_ _later_. His voice sends a shiver down her spine and she tightens their embrace. _You're impossible. - No that's you._

They sit like this for a long time. Rey allows herself to relax against him, running her hand along his chest and the other in small circles on his back. She feels Ben kiss her neck slowly, before raising his head to meet her eyes. "I have somewhere important I have to visit on Naboo...will you go with me?" Rey nods without a second thought. The idea of not joining him is unbeknownst to her, but her curiosity peaks. "Where?" "It's somewhere from my family's past that my mother told me to seek out. I just what someone there I can trust..." Rey touches his cheek softly as his lip begins to quiver. She can feel his hesitation wash over her. _Someone...I..._ Before he can finish his thought Rey pulls him forward and kisses him.

"Hey, Rey are you in- WHOA!" Rey and Ben's heads slam together in shock as Finn barges into the room. They both groan in pain as Finn sputters in confusion. "What the fu-" "Finn!" Rey rubs her forehead as Ben releases her and slides away. "You?! Him?! WHAT?!" "I..."

Finn makes several faces before finally focusing on her. "I thought Poe was joking this morning. I really did. I told him I wouldn't believe it until I saw it and now I've seen it and I'm - oh MAN I'm not going to be able to get that out of my head." He rubs his eyes. "POE!" "Finn!" The door shuts hard behind him.

Rey sighs in defeat puts her face in her hands. "He's going to hate me." She feels Ben rub her shoulder slowly. "I think that's impossible." "I could feel it. He feels betrayed." "He's just surprised...and I think he lost a bet." Rey sits up instantly. "He what?!" Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I could be wrong. Go after him."

Rey considers it and shakes her head quickly. "I should give him space..." "That's the last thing he wants you to do. Go after him." Rey gapes at Ben as she processes his unexpected wisdom. Even without their bonded feelings, she can tell he's right and he knows it. "Thank you..." Ben kisses her cheek and presses on her back to encourage her to stand.

"And you'll be alright?" "I will. I'm going to take the last infusion for my leg but it's going to put me to sleep." "I'll wake you up when we arrive on Naboo?" "I look forward to it." _Now go after him._ Rey heeds his advice and leaves her room quickly.

She wanders through the dispersing gaggles of people on the ship until she finds Finn hiding in the cockpit. "Finn..." He doesn't respond immediately, hitting random tabs on the Falcon's controls. "Finn please stop pretending to turn on the ship. You'll fry a fuse." Her best friend turns to her in annoyance. "I am not!" "You most certainly are! Now please talk to me. I don't like this." "This? You mean me walking in on you and... _him._ "

Rey sighs. "It's all very new." "How new!" "Exogul." "Oh, that's' pretty new." Finn winces.

"You're angry with me." "I'm not angry with you Rey...it's just confusing. We spent so much time hating him..." Rey looks away from him and leans against the pilot's seat. Finn shakes his head as he leans towards her. "Oh so now you're saying that was wrong too?" "I didn't say that." "Your eyes are saying enough."

Rey takes a deep breath. "I hated Kylo Ren...I truly did...but it's because I saw what Ben Solo could be. I'm sure you can understand that." "I can." Rey blinks at him in surprise. "Really?" "Yeah. I can. It doesn't mean I was prepared to see you swapping spit!" He makes a disgusted sound as Rey punches his shoulder. "Are you kidding? After what you and Poe put me through?" Finn opens his mouth to protest.

"What about me?" Poe swoops into the cockpit. "What are you two slacking off for-?" He slides between them and sits in the Pilot's seat. He looks between the two of them as Finn makes a face. "Is everything alright?" Rey grimaces as Finn gets it out before she can stop him. "I walked in on Rey and Ben."

Poe throws his arms up. "YES!" "What?!" Rey's jaw drops. "Pay up!" Poe points at his partner victoriously. Finn shakes his head. "Now hold on. You said they would be-" "No no no there's no backing down from this!"

"You two had a _bet_?! About Ben and me?!" "Not an official bet because he thought I was being dramatic." Poe shakes his head. "I knew something was up when I saw you this morning he just didn't believe me." Finn rolls his eyes. "I'm not arguing with you about this. And I don't owe you bantha shit."

Rey shook her head in disbelief. "You're both absolutely ridiculous. Here I was thinking you'd be mad at me." "Oh, I am mad at you." Poe corrected her. "Why?" "Because you didn't tell us you and the Supreme Leader of the First Order were fu-" "POE!" Rey punched his shoulder and started to leave the cockpit in a huff.

"I'm going to help Rose." "When you see her can you tell her Finn owes her credits?" "NO!"

"Rey." Finn's voice stops her in her tracks. Rey turns to face her closest friends with a frown. "What?" Finn smiles at her. "I meant what I said last night. I'm here for you." "We both are." Poe nods at her. Rey's heart swells as she can feel their determination and reassurance through the Force. "Thank you..." She takes a breath before continuing. "Really...it means a lot...to both of us."

"Well, you can tell your _boyfriend_ that if he hurts you...I will _personally_ put him through hell." Poe winks at her. "If he can beat me to it." Finn grins.

Rey rolls her eyes as Chewie comes in behind her. He growls at Poe defensively. "We are not teasing her! Now are we ready to go or what?" Rey accepts Chewie's embrace as he steps past her and takes a seat in the co-pilot chair. She takes a seat herself as Finn passes her to do a final check of the cargo hold. Across the ship, she can feel Ben's force signature lulling as the infusion takes effect. The bond has loosened around her, almost like it's grown accustomed to their shared distance.

By the time Finn and Rose get back and the ship has cleared out, Rey finds herself in the Pilot's seat to diffuse the brewing argument about which compressor needed to be switched off.

"Will you two stop arguing so we can go?" Rose takes her seat. "We have to review for this meeting or we're going to look like complete idiots in front of the entire galaxy!" "Some of us don't need any help with that." Finn jokes.

Rey can't help but laugh as her trio of friends begin bickering once again. Chewie growls as her as she pulls the correct booster switches. "He's doing alright. His last infusion should help his leg fully heal." Chewie growls a little softer and turns his attention to his own controls. Rey smiles to herself. "Me too."

_I'm glad he's home too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Here are some random notes:   
> \- This is the first chapter I didn't give an 'Adore You' lyric and that's not entirely on purpose. It's just a short song and I'm playing it safe when it comes to the better chapter titles! 'Circles' by Post Malone has been the second song on my writing playlist so I went with something from that instead!
> 
> \- Naboo is a lot. I don't know how to describe the place and that drove me into a bit of a spiral this week. Hence the cut-off of this chapter. But I think finishing this chapter was a good stepping stone towards where I want to go. Deciding whether or not to make it the palace was kind of difficult and I just hit a lot of dead ends. This fic is almost chapter by chapter that I rework as I go (by my lone self) and that can be infuriating if you're stuck on something.
> 
> \- A random side note...I cannot fathom the idea of trying to write out Chewie dialogue. I've seen some wild examples in my reading this week and I swore I would do absolutely NONE of that. I always enjoyed that aspect of his character/droids like BB8 where it's up to the actors to react to what they say. So I'm attempting something similar and that's going to be a lot of "growls". (How do you even describe Wookie noises? Chortles? That's a gross word. Let's talk about something else.)
> 
> \- Ben Solo is a soft boy but he's also a thirsty idiot and no one can convince me otherwise. Rey? Have you seen her?! She's perfect! Of course he wants a piece of that. (This isn't news that's why we're all here I just wanted to yell about it.)
> 
> \- I found myself overthinking quite a few things when it came to the trio's relationships. I think I dug myself a hole by reading some other fics where I got this really angry dynamic between the boys/Ben and it just completely threw off my groove. I'm trying to find that happy medium between feel-good fluff and reliable angst. And I just want to do it right for this little story.
> 
> \- Part of me is going to go back and find a million things wrong with this chapter, but before I do that I should outline my next one. Or two. Or three. That's where I'm at so far. What a year right?
> 
> Thank you again for your patience and for taking the time to even read this story!


	6. i'll be your levy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! If I happen to catch any mistakes I'll probably go back and fix them. There are some notes at the end of the chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Rey opens her eyes as the Falcon groans suddenly, jolting out of hyperspace and locking onto their destination. She kicks her legs off the controls with a sigh to begin the landing sequence. As her eyes focus her head throbs almost rhythmically, a vicious headache raking through her skull. The trip to Naboo had taken most of the night, with Poe taking over for Chewie about halfway through to let the Wookie rest. His age was nothing to him, but Rey had noticed how Poe took extra care to make sure he could relax. The weight of his loss was immeasurable, and Rey couldn't help but feel guilty. He had lost so much so quickly, all while fighting in the war. Darkness poked at her as her mind wandered. _If you hadn't stabbed Ben maybe Leia wouldn't have given her life._ As if sensing her distress, Poe poked her shoulder and checked on her. "You okay?"

Rey nodded quickly. "Just a little tired..." "You look like you're about to bring on the waterworks." Poe turned her face with his thumb. Rey cringed as a tear slipped from her cheek. "Rey." It was almost annoying how quickly the flyboy had learned to read her emotions, just from watching Finn do it. "I'm just letting my mind wander. I'm _fine_." Rey pouted. Poe smirked knowingly at her.

"You should know by now that you're a terrible liar." Rey started to protest but let the topic drop as the Falcon's controls began flashing at them and they grew closer to the surface of the planet.

Once they'd dropped through the clouds, Rey's jaw dropped open as she took in the sight of the planet before her. Leia had told her stories of Naboo; its vibrant cities, rolling green hills and luscious waters, but the real thing was beyond anything Rey had ever seen. _I didn't know there was this much green in the whole galaxy._ Her own words echoed in her mind as she smiled.

"That's never going to get old." Rey met Poe's smirk. "What do you mean?" "Chewie told me to always look at your face if we go to a new planet..." "Why is that?" Rey felt herself blushing as she flipped her own control switches. "It's just nice. I promise I'm only teasing." Poe turned his focus and flipped his own switches as they descended.

They guided the ship down to a field that stretched behind an enormous lakehouse. "Have you ever been swimming?" Poe asked as they powered down the ship. Rey nodded. "Rose and I went a few times on Ajan Kloss, but-" "All that mud! No way! As soon as we have some downtime tomorrow or the next day we are definitely going." The pilot paused briefly before turning to her. "Do you think Ben would want to come?"

Rey felt herself jump in surprise at the mention of his name. "I-I'm not sure." "Well, we'll figure something out." Poe stood up and stretched. He reached over and squeezed Rey's shoulder affectionately. "I'm going to go get 3po powered up so we can get this house open. Apparently there are some locks and access pads...things to sort out before we can unload everything. Wake everyone up for me?" Rey nodded.

Her heart swelled as she processed all that had just happened. Rey had always worried her friends would never understand her feelings for Ben - not that she fully understood them herself. Kylo Ren had done so many wrongs, some beyond any ounce of forgiveness, and yet here Poe was inviting him - and herself - to spend time with them. Somewhere in the back of her mind she'd pictured a sadder future, one where she and Ben have to hide away from the rest of the world. Rey shook her head in disbelief. _There is so much to be happy about...why are you still dwelling on the past?_

Rey turned herself to look out at the planet before her as the morning sun shined into the cockpit. Her stomach churned suddenly as she felt the weight of the planet's Force signature around her. _It's the energy between all things, a tension, a balance that binds the universe together._ Master Luke's word's echoed through her mind. She thought of Ben's reaction to the planet, feeling the worry bubble up inside her. _What was this place?_

Rey decided to distract herself from her anxious thoughts and start waking everyone up. She made her way through the ship, turning on lights as she went. She stopped in front of the master quarters and knocked briskly. "Finn! Finn we're here!" Once she could hear him groaning from the other side of the door, she made her way towards her own room and nearly collided with Rose.

"Rose!" "Morning!" "Is Chewie awake?" "Slowly but surely. Is Finn moving?" "I think I heard signs of life." They shared a giggle. "Well, I'll make sure of it so you can check on Ben. See you soon!" Rose stepped around her.

Reaching for the keypad, Rey jumped in surprise as her door opened on its own. She was greeted by an incredibly disheveled Ben Solo, rubbing his tired eyes with a yawn. It was arguably the cutest thing Rey had ever seen, and she lived on a ship infested with Porgs.

"Good Morning. Did you sleep well?" Without hesitating, Rey reached up to push his bedhead from his eyes. The gesture pulled a small groan from Ben's lips as he stretched, standing at his full height and nearly hitting his head in the doorway. Rey could feel his many aches through the bond as his back cracked. "You have a very small bed." "I'm a small person."

Ben ran a hand through his hair. "All the more reason to sleep in a big bed. More space..." He closes the small distance between them and kisses her forehead, making Rey incredibly aware of their difference in height. _When did he get so...so...large? Was he always like this_?

Ben smirks down at her. "More space for more people..." Rey gasps softly at his sudden confidence. She can feel his urge to share his thoughts with her as a blush appears on his cheeks. They gaze at each other for the longest moment, neither of them finding the words as they get lost in their own thoughts. Rey ponders what would happen if she opened her mind to him. The sound of Finn and Rose bickering down the hall snaps Rey out of her trance and she swats at his chest. Ben shrugs almost playfully as he turns to acknowledge the pair.

Finn gives them both a once over as he adjusts his wrinkled shirt. "Does anyone else feel like they got thrown off the side of a cliff? I don't feel like I slept at all." Rey and Ben both nodded aimlessly in agreement, glancing at each other in surprise. Rose looked between them all with a concerned expression. "I slept fine! What do you mean?"

Rey sensed his sudden resolve as Ben took a breath. "The Force is very volatile on a planet like this...it probably took a toll on us as we landed." Finn blinked at him in surprise. "O-oh...well that's...unique." Rey gave Ben another sideways glance as she felt his muddled emotions. She had been right, there was something strange about this planet. Chewie interrupts them with a growl from the lounge. "Poe needs help. We'd better get going." Rose and Finn lead the way as they exit the ship.

Stepping down the ramp, Rey takes Ben's hand in hers and laces their fingers together. She can feel his warring feelings as they come around the back of the ship and look up at the estate. _Happiness_. _Anger. Pain. Grief._ Rey catches the smallest glimpses of his memories, despite his attempt to hide them. - There was a house, just like this one, with his parents. There was a lake, just like the one before them. - Rey even catches a glimpse of a much younger Master Luke.

"Ben." Rey pulled him to a stop. He shook his head quickly and smiled down at her. "I have a...bit of history here...but I don't want to spoil the moment for anyone. May we talk about it later?" Rey nodded slowly as she considered his quick response. "Of course."

Ben released their hands as they walked up to the estate and found the rest of the group standing on the steps of the house. Poe was arguing with C3p0 as the droid was poking at an incredibly old datapad. Finn and Rose are leaning against the railing watching them. "What do you _mean_ that isn't the code?!" "I am sorry General! I'm afraid the code given to you is out of date." "It can't be out of date this is the code Maz left for us! It was Leia's-"

Poe throws his arms up in frustration and turns to Rey and Ben. "Any ideas? BB8 already tried." The answer hits them both before either can speak. _You don't think...? - My mother was stubborn to the end..._ Ben raises a hand slowly. "I think...I know the code."

Rey feels her companions' shock as Ben steps up and 3p0 moves out of the way so he can reach the datapad. He takes a deep breath and types the code in quickly, almost as if the datapad burns his fingers. The locks are released and the massive doors swing open with a groan. Chewie growls in amusement as the group stares at Ben in shock. Rey smiles as he rolls his eyes. "That's a cheap move. You knew the code too." "What?!" Poe and Finn shout in unison.

"Have you been here before?" Rose asks. 3p0 is the one to answer. "Oh how silly of me! I must have forgotten! This was a very frequent safehouse for General Organa when we visited Naboo! I've been here many times!" BB8 chirped beside him. "I did not forget!"

Rey caught Ben's eyes as the droid's meaning sunk in. Leia had been here many times, which meant Ben had too. The memories she'd seen glimpses of had happened on this planet, in this house. He gave her a small smile and gestured towards the house. "Shall we?"

Rey followed behind her friends as they stepped through the foyer. It felt even larger on the inside as the walls stretched high up into the domed ceiling. Ben leads them through the first corridor and into a large sitting room. A house droid creaked back and forth in the corner of the room, cleaning a speck of dust off one of the armchairs.

"Well, at least it's clean..." Poe rang his finger along one of the bookshelves. Ben crossed the room alone and flipped a few switches, opening up the massive windows to reveal a brilliant view of the lake. Poe whistles and puts his hands on his hips. "Not bad...got any other tricks up your sleeve Solo?"

Rey can feel Ben's embarrassment as he rolls his eyes. _And you thought you had questions before._ She takes an inkling of one of Ben's memories and uses it to her advantage. She nudges Poe's shoulder. "Now the real question is who's getting the biggest room?" Rey grins at Rose hoping she catches on. "Oh. I'm obviously getting the one with the biggest bathtub!" Finn shakes his head. "Not if that's the room we want! How many rooms are there anyway?" They all turn to Ben again. He shakes his head with a frown. "I don't know...five? Maybe six?" "SIX?!" The trio is suddenly racing out of the room to continue exploring the house. The droids follow after them as c3p0 sputters about figuring out where the other house droids could be and how he must get to know their programming.

That leaves Rey and Ben alone with Chewie, who is also taking in the sights of the familiar place. He growls at them both and tosses something to Ben, which he catches. "What's that?" Rey joins Ben at his side. Ben turns the key over in his hand and looks up at the Wookie. "I don't think I-" Chewie interrupts him with another growl, deciding to leave them and begin unloading the Falcon.

Rey can't help but smile as she watches Ben frown at the gift. "What is it, Ben?" "It's...the key to my mother's safe. It's here...in this house. I've never actually been in it before." Rey's curiosity peaks as she imagines all the interesting things that could be in a safe that belonged to someone like Leia. Ben smirks down at her. "I see the scavenger in you is interested?" "You can take the girl from Jakku." Rey grins at him. "Come on. Let's go pick a room." She enjoys the blush that immediately spreads over his pale cheeks.

Ben catches himself and raises an eyebrow at her. "If I remember correctly I have a room. It's at the back of the house." "Than let's go see it." Exiting the sitting room, Ben places his hand against her back and guides her down the hall. He guides her through the house with ease and Rey suddenly feels like she's stepped through it herself countless times.

Rey takes a breath as they walk up to the last door in the hall. She watches Ben reach out to open it slowly, his whole body tense beside hers. The door swings open with a groan, revealing a small bedroom covered in dust. They step into the room together and Ben reaches out with the force to open the windows slowly. A medium-sized bed sits in the corner of the room, with a pile of fine clothes folded neatly on the edge. Piles of stuffed animals, toy ships, and wooden swords littered the floor beside a short dresser. It was definitely still a child's room.

Rey stares at him as his sadness washes over her. "When was the last time you were here?" Ben sighs. "I was...10...my mother brought me here one more time before I began my training..." "Your Jedi training...?" Rey could feel her own feelings swirling in darkness as she was reminded of his fate at the hands of their former Master.

"It was a very nice visit...for the most part. I remember my father was late to dinner and-" His lip quivers as he tries to find his words. "And they pretended like nothing was wrong. We had dinner with my uncle and my mother put me to sleep...and then I heard them fighting for hours." Rey glimpsed at his memories of a dark room, the shouts of a young Han and Leia echoing in the back of her mind. Between them, she hears Luke's calm voice interjecting.

"Why were they upset?" "My father was never the biggest fan of my becoming a Jedi. I think he'd always wanted something different for me...but he was always going to listen to my mother. And I think she was just upset he'd been late to dinner." Ben chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. Despite his toothy grin, Rey could sense his intense grief. _There is so much pain..._

"Ben...I'm sorry..." "There's nothing for you to be sorry for. We had no way of knowing what was to come..." Ben took her hand in his and kissed it. "Let's go find a different room. We don't have to stay here." Rey frowned at him as he guided her out and back down the hall. She berated herself for not finding the words to get him to open up to her.

They find Rose in the hall, bringing back some of her own things from the Falcon. "Oh hey! The boys are already resting, that trip really did a number on Finn." Rey begins to help take some of her belongings. "I can help unload the Falcon." "Are you sure? You look exhausted Rey."

Rey blinks in surprise as Ben agrees with her friend. "You _were_ flying all night." "If there's work to be done, I'm fine." Rey shakes her head with a scowl. Rose matches her expression almost instantly. "You need to rest! Both of you! You've been through so much. Chewie and I can handle the unloading on our own." To prevent any arguments the fiery young woman nudges her door open with her hip and disappears inside. Annoyed by her own apparent weakness, Rey allows Ben to silently guide her down another hall and into a different room. "She's right you know."

"I think I prefer the Ben Solo that my friends didn't get along with." "Oh really?" He chuckles at her as he opens the windows and fills the room with a soft light. Rey stares at the large bed before her as the desire to lie down suddenly overwhelms her. She feels Ben step beside her as he clears his throat. "I'll let you get some rest. I'll be right next door."

"What?! No." Rey turns to him quickly and grabs at his arm. Ben stares back down at her in stunned silence. The confidant bachelor of a man she'd greeted earlier was nowhere to be found. "Stay with me." Rey watches his eyes widen as she steps closer to him and extends her hand. "Please..."

The weight of her choice of words hangs between them, the memories of their fight on the Supremacy tangling together. To her relief, Rey watches a warm smile grows on his cheeks as he takes her hand. "Alright..." Ben leans down to plant a soft kiss in her hair. "But only if you're resting. I have no plans to face the wrath of Rose- or anyone else who loves you." The idea of Ben getting a reprimand from Rose - their height difference and all - makes Rey laugh softly as she pictures it. "I probably wouldn't hear the end of it either..."

Rey allows him to guide her once again as she shuffles towards the massive bed and takes a seat along the edge. She can barely keep her eyes open as she kicks off her boots. Ben chuckles at her as she collapses dramatically against the pile of pillows with a sigh. "Here." Ben holds her up as he moves the decorative pillows and tosses them to the floor. Rey blinks up at him and smirks, grabbing at his arm before he can move too far away from her. She considers what he would do next. _If you pulled him down and kissed him senseless-_

"Your thoughts are loud when you're tired..." Ben climbs over her carefully to lay beside her. Rey scrunches her nose at him as he rubs his hand along her arm. _Or maybe I just want you to hear them..._ Ben doesn't respond as he slides his arm under her and pulls her close to his chest. Despite her efforts, she can't even look up at him as he holds her close. _Here he is being impossibly large again...and so_ _warm_...

Rey loses the battle to keep her eyes open and lets herself melt into his embrace as he rubs small circles on her back.

"Ben..."

"I'll be right here. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't they cute? I really love that for them.  
> Notes:  
> \- It's a big house with a lake. It was going to be a cabin but then I decided to make it bigger and fancier. Plus who doesn't love tons of rooms and a huge kitchen for a group of friends to share. I love the idea that Leia cared about having a place for them on Naboo - and I don't see that being the palace itself so I chose this happy medium.  
> \- Jedi Finn is something I've become extremely serious about adding. He was originally going to be off with Jannah but I think I'm just going to bring some of the other characters back instead (hello BIG HOUSE).  
> \- I've based Ben's age on the 'Ben/Kylo' Wookiepedia page, so he's about 10 years Rey's senior. I have never considered that to be a big deal? But also there won't be anything involved in this fic that should highlight their age difference as some kind of warning/problem. *T'Challa voice* We don't do that here.  
> \- Upon seeing the movie for the third time I noticed a few really interesting things that were definitely tough to grasp on a first watch. I've made a lot of peace with some things I hadn't before, and overall just really enjoyed the film. It's not the best star wars movie we could've gotten, but it's still a lot of fun. Also hi I would very much die for every character in this story! BYE!  
> \- chapter title based on "Always" by Panic at the Disco  
> Thank you for reading!


	7. lemon over ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah. totally forgot to update this on AO3. I'm a loser! *insert the things writers say when they work on a chapter for too long* I was a busy bean and this chapter was annoying to write! I still get a little nervous about my trio/Ben interactions and I'm trying to find my groove again. Notes at the end! Happy Reading!

* * *

Rey opened her eyes slowly, her sight adjusting to the darkness of the room quickly. As she took in her unfamiliar new surroundings she noticed two things. She was cold. She was also alone. "Ben." Rey sat up with a gasp as she poked at the empty pillow beside her. "Ben!" The ensuite fresher door slid open suddenly, his presence washing over her.

"I'm here." He poked his head out and smiled at her. His hair was wet again, with a towel hanging over his bare shoulders. Rey squinted at him as her eyes continued to adjust. "Sorry..." Rey pushed herself up and stretched her arms over her head. She groaned softly as Ben turned a lamp on and cast the room in a warm glow. Rey's eyes widened as could sweep her gaze over him. This newfound ability to admire his physique without feeling any form of guilt was becoming better every second.

He smirked at her, ignoring her loud thoughts as he crossed the room and picked up his shirt. "How did you sleep?" Rey pulled at her hair as she pondered her answer. "Fine...it was... _peaceful_..." They shared a smile as Ben sat on the edge of the bed. His memory of lying beside her as she slept soundly grazed her mind. _He didn't sleep..._

"Rose stopped by about an hour ago. She's rewiring one of the house droids to make us some dinner." "They had to be rewired?" "Their menus were a little outdated." Ben shrugs as he pulls on his shirt and begins to put it over his head. He struggled slightly with a huff as the tight fabric strained over his arms and chest. As he grumbled to himself, Rey inched closer to him and pulled at the hem of the tight garment. Her mind ran in circles as she imagined tugging it back off. He tensed slightly under her touch as her fingers made contact with his skin.

"Rey..." His tone was cautious as he smirked down at her. "Ben..." Rey batted her eyes innocently. Their staring contest was short lived as Ben broke her stare and chuckled softly at her. "Dinner will be ready soon." Rey can tell she visibly pouts as he stands and strolls back towards the fresher to return his towel. Rey slid towards the edge of the bed and kicked her legs over the edge, her feet making contact with her boots.

Her thoughts take a dark turn as she considers how unexciting her last twelve hours have been. _All you've done is sleep and kiss a little - not that you know what to do otherwise-, it's no wonder he's gotten bored of you already. He'll get over this and find someone else to excite him._ Rey focuses on keeping her thoughts out of the bond as she tugs her boots back on. She scrunches her nose as she watches Ben's shadow grow closer to her. As she lifts her head Ben leans down and meets her with a firm kiss. Rey kisses him back stiffly at first, but melts into his touch until he pulls away.

"I...will never... _never_...be bored of you. Or desire someone else..." He touches her cheek softly. "I am just keeping myself from making a _bad_ decision. And by bad I mean one that will upset your friends who so kindly didn't throw me in a jail cell at your request..." Rey bit her lip as she pictured Rose - or worse - Finn and Poe walking in on them. _That...would be bad._

Rey allows herself to smile as he searches her eyes for understanding. "Well at least one of us is using our heads..." Her stomach growls loudly. "What was that you were saying about dinner?" Ben chuckles at her. "We should get going." Rey finishes pulling her hair back as Ben grabs his own boots.

As they make their way back to the entrance of the house, they can hear Finn and Poe bickering with 3po. "I told you I tried that already!" "Well ask him again!" "I'm sorry General, but it seems their programming does not allow them to open any unauthorized storage compartments. Mistress Rey! Master Solo! It is a pleasure to see you."

"Oh!" Finn whipped around. "Maybe it'll work if Ben tries it! That worked last time." "I don't know..."

"What am I trying exactly...?" Ben pulled out the stool on the counter island so Rey could sit. His hand immediately slides to rest against her lower back.

"Do not get him involved in your teenage antics!" Rose appeared from around the corner, carrying a large tray of cheese and meats. She placed the tray in front of Rey with a wink. Finn groaned. "We're not! We're just looking for some _delectable_ wine to go with the food!"

Rey looked up at Ben as he grabbed his own serving of the appetizer. "Do you remember your parents having a wine cellar?" He shakes his head. "I'd have to think about it." "Maybe Chewie knows something we don't again-" Poe grumbled.

"Would you stop complaining? The food is almost ready go sit down!" Rose shooed them all out and gestured for Rey to take the snack tray with her. The couples escaped to the sitting room and the house droids began buzzing back into the kitchen. Finn and Poe collapse on a couch together. Rey sets the tray down and sits opposite them, watching Ben as he looks around the room.

"I think...now I might be wrong..." Ben runs his hand over the empty bar and cabinets. "There must be a- here!" He flicks a switch underneath the cabinet and steps back. The device clicks and groans as the shelves rotate and reveal an entire collection of different liquors and wines. Poe and Finn jump back to their feet in excitement. "WHOA!"

Ben steps back as they begin to browse all their choices like a pair of excited children. Rey grins at him. "You've done it now." "My father did appreciate his collections, even the ones he didn't want everyone to see." Ben smiled softly and sat beside her on the edge of the couch. Rey wraps her hand over his as flashes of the late Solo flicker between them. Ben masks his frown poorly as Poe gets his attention. "What are you drinking then? Solo?"

"Corellian Whiskey. Neat." Ben answered shortly.

"Reallllllly?" Poe grabbed one of the many amber bottles from a higher shelf. "I take it this was a Solo favorite?" "If there was one thing I had to learn before piloting a ship it was pouring my uncle and Dad their favorite drink." Ben shrugged as the general handed him his glass. Ben stepped around the couch to sit beside Rey.

Finn continued browsing. "Rey? You want to try something?" She shook her head. "I wouldn't know where to start..."

"Come on Finn you know the Jedi don't drink hard liquor." Poe teased. Finn shook his head maniacally. "Then I don't know what Jedi I'll be because I'm not giving up my Tatooine Sunsets _anytime_ soon."

This made Ben laugh suddenly, surprising Rey and the pair of generals. "S-Sorry...I just would give about 6 billion credits for you to say that in front of my uncle." "Skywalker?" Poe handed Rey a glass of blue liquid and took his seat beside Finn. Rey nodded eagerly. "He taught the old ways of the Jedi...I read about it in the texts." "It's incredibly old fashioned..." Ben added.

Poe took a long sip of his drink. "Now what about the other side? What made that so special?" Rey blinked as she turned to Ben, awaiting his answer. To her own surprise, he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You'd think it would be the opposite...but it was just as archaic. I went from self-discipline centered around a pure soul to self-discipline centered around when my master needed me to do their dirty work. The darkness in the force feeds on your emotions...and uses that against you..." Ben took a long sip of his drink. "It never fully made sense to me...which is probably why I was unable to finish my training." He winked at Rey, feeling her tension bubble through the bond.

Finn and Poe seemed even more confused by his answer. Before they could ask further questions, Rose appeared in the doorway. "Hey astro-mechs I need help carrying all this food if you want to eat in here! Hop to it!" The generals nearly dropped their drinks as they jumped up and chased after her.

Rey snuggled closer to Ben as they disappeared around the corner. She took a sip of her mysterious drink and flinched. "This is _awful!"_ "Let me try..." Ben leaned forward and sipped the brim of her glass. He went through a series of painful expressions before sticking out his tongue. "That is vile. It's so sweet." "I've never had a good drink...save for that wine we'd smuggle at the base." "You might like this," He offered her his glass. "it's strong but I think you can handle it." Ben slung his arm over her shoulders and tilted the glass at her lips so she could try the drink. Rey wrinkled her nose but didn't flinch. "Mmmmm! That's much better!" "A Solo through and through..." Ben smiled brightly at her.

A vague image flashed between them in an instant, causing Rey to freeze up in his embrace. Ben tensed himself, embarrassment and regret rolling off of him. "I-" "Don't apologize." Rey put her finger to his lips to silence him. Ben stared down at her, reopening his mind to her as their thoughts weaved together. Rey indulged herself in his vague visions of their future. It all went by so fast, but what stuck between them both was a little child - a child with Ben's hair and Rey's rose. _I've never felt this way before..._ Ben ran his hand along her cheek as her spoke in her mind. Rey stuttered a response aloud. "I-...I haven't either...Ben...I-"

"Whoa-" Rey and Ben flinched apart as the trio reappeared with a variety of dinner trays. Poe made a show of stepping across them as he set his tray on the table. "That's still kinda gross!" He bounced back into his seat and took a long swig of his cocktail. Finn stood before them a moment longer with a confused expression.

"Did you just...have a conversation...with your mind?"

Rey winced. "Sort of-" Ben said nothing as he finished his whiskey in on gulp. He reached out and summoned the open bottle off the bar to give himself a refill. _I can't believe we're about to do this..._ \- _Consider it already done. I've told them about the bond._ Rey snapped back.

"That is so freaky." Finn shook his head as he sat and dug into his dinner. Rose made a point to roll her eyes at the generals and took her place beside Ben. "I think it's sweet. Here, dig in you two I don't want to deal with any leftovers!"

Rey and her ravenous stomach happily obliged. Before any more force questions could arise, Rose took the helm on a more comfortable conversation as Chewie and the droids joined them. She had obviously been the only one considering what they needed to prepare for the senate meetings that week and she wasn't afraid to show it. In an effort to include Ben, Rose also began asking questions about the house. Only Rey could sense his discomfort as he shared an short anecdote about the few times he visited. The Solos would visit Naboo in the summertime cycles - what was meant to be a vacation from all their Galactic Senate business. Rey could tell he wasn't comfortable sharing much more and found a way to interject.

"That reminds me, I saw some wonderful training equipment we could use to teach Finn with." "What kind of training?" Poe gaped. "I think Ben would be an excellent form teacher for Finn's saber training!"

"Whoa whoa whoa Rey I don't know if lightsaber training is a good idea yet-" Finn sputtered. "You'd rather spend years learning how to meditate?" Ben snarked. "N-No. I just have seen what you can do with a saber and don't have plans to get my ass _beat...again!"_

Poe shook his head and raised his hand. "Now that's a load of crap, it's just swordplay! Didn't Rey kick your ass at Starkiller base? With no prior training?"

Rey gaped at her friend's boldness. "P-Poe." _I've got this._ Ben whispered to her through the bond. "She did...she did best me...and it was also her first time fighting with a saber." "So even I could figure it out!" Poe grinned as Rey istantly rolled her eyes. "You'll cut off your own hand before you even get a hit in." "Hey!"

They all laughed as Poe continued to argue how he'd be an excellent 'saber wielder'- as he called it. Ben took the commentary in stride and, to Rey's surprise, ensured Poe that he'd be invited whenever Finn wanted to start his lightsaber training. A few strong drinks later, Poe somehow wrangled Ben back into a new conversation regarding his former allegiance.

"N-Now there is _one_ thing I've been dying to ask about. You, you know you, your supremely leader ness-" Poe pointed at Ben. "And it's about General Hugs." Ben rolled his eyes so hard they nearly popped out of his skull, causing Finn and Poe to erupt in laughter. "OH NO!" Finn slapped his partner's chest. "That's so much more than I ever expected!"

 _Ben..._ Rey cautioned through the bond. Her own drink was making her anxious. _They're drunk_. - _I know._ He winked at her and nodded at the generals. "What would you like to know?"

"Uhm- everything! You had to work with the guy I'm sure you've got stories." Finn chuckled.

Ben took a long sip of his drink - only his second but no one but Rey had noticed - and sighed. "Hux was...a formidable general...I can say that. However ostentatious his plans were I was sure there had to be some rhyme to his reason...for hating me." Poe and Finn's excitement visibly deflated as Ben took another drink. Rey caught him smirking into his glass as he shrugged. "Who am I kidding he's a kriffing _ass_ and I hope whatever backwater town he's hiding in is treating him well."

"Ben!" Rey gasped as she slapped his arm, making the generals laugh even harder. _He was the-_

"So is this a good time or a _bad_ time to tell you he was the Resistance spy?" Finn slapped his own knee as Poe wheezed softly. Ben's face flickered from confusion to downright surprise as he processed this news. "You're joking?" "I am not! He is the reason we escaped on Kajimi!"

Ben looked down at Rey as she confirmed the notion with a nod. He shook his head in disbelief. "What a... kriffing _nerf-herder_."

"You didn't know?!" Rose interjected as Ben continued to stare at Rey. "I was... _distracted_...what-what with Palpatine constantly in my head I had to make sure he didn't...that I didn't..."

Rey put a hand to her mouth, stifling her own laughter as she watched Ben go slightly red in the face. _You're so cute when you're angry._ Her kind words pulled him out of his darker thoughts in an instant. Recovering with a smile, Ben rolled his shoulders and raised his glass at the generals. "Well...a toast to General Hugs. A proper scoundrel til the end." "If he's dead-" Finn raised his glass. "Which for all our sakes he should be-" Poe slurred and knocked his drink back.

Although the conversation was in good spirits, the possibility of Hux - or any First Order general - still being alive poked at the back of Rey's mind. There was an entire galaxy that needed mending and surely there were people that wanted the order back. _People who might want Ben dead._ Tension rolled off of her in waves as Rey watched Rose convince the slurring heroes to go to bed. Despite their protesting, Chewie grabbed them both by the collar and hoisted them out of the room. 3po tottered off with the other droids to power down in the generator room.

Ben stood up and began helping Rose collect all the dishes. "Oh you don't have-" "Let me - please. I feel like I'm part of the reason they drank so much." Rey nearly melted as she watched him smile warmly at her friend, who couldn't hide her own blush. "Sure thing Solo." Rose handed him the remainder of the plates and sat back down next to Rey.

She waited until he was gone before leaning close to Rey and whispering. "Holy. Hoth. Hairballs. Has he always been that dreamy?" Rey choked on the last of her drink and laughed. "What?!"

"I obviously never _took_ a moment to think about how handsome _Kylo Ren_ could be- being the son of Han Solo and all...but _dang_ Rey..."

Rey could tell she was blushing from more than just her alcohol. "You should see him shirtless." The joke escaped her before she could stop herself and she swore she could hear Ben snort from across the house. _Of course...he was listening._

"REY!" Rose nearly jumped on her. "I can't believe you! Did it happen during your force transmitting thing?! SPILL!" Rey realized at that moment her friend had had quite a bit to drink herself and there was no escaping her curiosity. She set down her glass and leaned in.

"Well..." Rey mused. "There was _one_ time...on Ach-too-" "No way." "I had come back from an upsetting day of training and...we connected. I could barely get a word out...oh it was a little embarrassing-" Rey put her face in her hands as Rose grinned her. "Oh my- You totally had a crush on him. Didn't you?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean-" Rey rolled her eyes as Rose giggled. "You did! You totally did! Oh, what a scandal that would've been-" Alcohol muddled thoughts beside her, Rey was filled with instant happiness as she considered the possibilities of being able to discuss her romance with Rose. The young girl had been through so much and never let her judgments stop her support for her friends. She recalled the story Finn had told her about the battle of Crait - how Rose had stopped him from sacrificing himself. _That's how we're gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love._

The phrase instantly reminded Rey of Ben, and his sacifice for her. _Does that mean...Ben...could he already feel that way about me?_

"What was that you said about _girl_ time?" Rey changed the subject to distract herself. "Oh! We should totally do that tonight! I found all these crazy spa things in my fresher that I'm dying to try out. We are having a _girl's night_. Would Ben be alright with that?"

"Of course he would." Rey smiled. "I'll let him know and meet you at your room?" "Okay! I'll see you in a bit!"

Rey picked up the remaining discarded glasses and brought them to the kitchen. Ben turned to her with a smile as he set the dinner plates into the sink. He did a terrible job of convincing Rey he hadn't been listening to her conversation. They didn't say a word to each other as Rey set the glasses on the counter and slid closer to him, taking his hand. "I was thinking..." Ben leaned into her touch as he spoke softly. "We could go exploring in my mother's vault once everyone is asleep." "Exploring?" "There must be something important down there...and I take it you're up for a _scavenger_ challenge?"

"I am...so long as you're always with me." Rey felt her cheeks flush as her words tumbled out. _What are you thinking?! Saying something like that?!_ Ben only chuckled as he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. _I would give my life all over again for you to say that to me every day_...

Rey pulled away from him as his sweet words washed over her. "Ben..." "Rey...?" He smirked down at her - the Solo in him was ever-present the more he teased her this way. Rey pursed her lips and stepped away from him. "Why do I have the feeling Leia would chide you for acting like your father right now?" Ben merely shrugged and kissed her forehead, his hands sliding to rest on her waist as he held her. His touch sent another familiar shudder through Rey and she forced down her more reckless thoughts as she stepped out of his embrace entirely. _Your turn to use your head..._

"I won't keep Rose waiting...I'll see you later tonight?"

"You'll know where to find me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter being edited and revised was brought to you by me crying over how cute the novelization leak was. I love that for them - and no I'm unaffected by the "gratitude" line/hate because everything else about their "incredible oneness" & "I will always be with you" cleared my skin and watered my animal crossing plants. A few thoughts moving forward:
> 
> This chapter in a word. WOOF. This chapter bothered me to no end. I don't know why I spent so much time on segments only to dumb it down to what it was, but that's just your average imposter syndrome when you try to write something with your OTP. I am going to definitely lean on that simplicity concept - skipping over things rather than inserting clunky forced dialogue. I want my own story to feel authetic to me and I struggle with forcing out cringey conversations. Again. Solid imposter syndrome working it's magic. If you see me jumping a scene it's not because I want to ignore those characters it's just I don't write good transitions and this is just where I end up. I rewrote some of these scenes 3-4 times only to bounce back to my original outline. It was a time.
> 
> I'm playing with the idea of bringing Hux back? I really fell for his charms as a character with some recent TLJ rewatches and - and please don't beat me up - I lowkey love the idea of some implied Hux/Rose. I saw it in not one but TWO fics that I follow and it was cute as all heck. So fingers crossed my imposter syndrome doesn't get in the way of bringing some Hux to the table. Of course he's not dead we know General Pryde was as bad a shot as his characterization.
> 
> My next chapter is going to venture into this mysterious vault that keeps being mentioned. I want it to be done with love so it may take me awhile but I will try try try my hardest to update soon. Lots of love! Thank you so much for reading! While you're waiting, tell me your favorite thing about Reylo! I love to hear why people love them as much as I do!


	8. never have i ever met somebody like you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *it's been 84 years* I was really hoping this whole self-quarantine thing was going to give me a magical burst of writer inspiration but instead it gave me a strong case of "play animal crossing until you can't see straight and the last thing you want to do is write". But I managed! If I catch any mistakes I'll try to patch them up later! Notes at the end - enjoy!

Rey reaches across the bedspread to pull the blanket tighter over her giggling friend. They'd spent a better part of the evening trying out the assortment of products Rose had found in her fresher, even though most of their descriptions were in a language neither girl had never seen. They'd settled for the lotions with the sweetest fruit fragrances and took turns brushing out the others' hair. Rose had wanted to try braiding, but Rey convinced her otherwise once she discovered just how uncoordinated her poor friend had become. _One too many glasses and this commander is a loose cannon - and that second bottle of wine didn't help._ Rose's cheeks glistened in the warm bedroom glow as she grinned. "All those lotions smell so sweet!"

"They do!" Rey feigned excitement as she tucked her in tight. "Now get some rest and your pillows will smell that nice forever!" "Really! Oh I love that-" Rose snuggled into her sheets. Rey reached to turn out the light but paused as Rose sniffled softly. "This was fun..."

"Rose?" "I like having you as a friend Rey. You're so strong...just like...like..."

Rey took Rose's hand in her own instantly. Finn had told her the sad story of Rose's sister Paige when they'd all reunited on Crait. Rey's heart ached as she realized all the times she'd passed up on spending time with Rose on Ajan Kloss - knowing Finn or Poe was there to keep her company. Rey also realized how much time Rose was prone to spend with Jannah or Kaydel, even when it was just Resistance business. _All this time she just wanted that feeling of having a sister again..._ "I wish I could've met her."

"Ohhhh she would've loved you! Ben too- well besides the whole being a bad guy thing. But if she taught me anything...it's that love is more powerful than anything."

"...Love..." The word felt like lead on Rey's tongue. Rose closed her eyes with a smile. "That's how we won the war. Love! You and Ben are proof of that. And I know you're worried about how everyone feels about him but everything will be okay. Your _love_ is stronger than hatred"

Rey's mouth hung open as she watched her friend soundly fall asleep, her words and their meaning lost to a deep slumber. Rey blinked rapidly as she turned out the light, grabbed her dirty clothes and left the room as quietly as she could manage. As she let her friend's door click shut, Rey instantly felt the pull of the bond from across the house.

She pulled at the sleeves of her long silk robe - another discovery from her girl time. Rose had insisted they try on the robes and their matching nightdresses. Making her way into her room, Rey found Ben standing shirtless over the bed, looking down at two shirts like he was about to interrogate them.

"We keep meeting like this," Rey smirked as she stepped through the threshold and set her clothes down. "did one of those garments do something to you?"

"I'll have you know I was deciding which one I hate the least. Do you think Dameron will let me but in an order for more black clothing?" Ben turned to her as he scooped up the darker beige top, his jaw going slack as he looked at her. "Oh-"

Rey stared back at him as his gaze swept over her. "What...what is it?" Rey blushed and turned away from him, catching herself in the mirror. The robe was a light shade of pink, which seemed to stand out against Rey's tan chest. Her chest - which she considered to be vaguely unexciting - was accentuated with the lace hem of the nightdress and the tight wrap she'd done at her waist. Her hair was half tied up in the smallest bun with the rest cascading against her shoulders. She definitely looked... _different._

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Ben's deep voice interrupted her critiques. She turned to find him steps closer to her, his shirt entirely forgotten on the dresser. Rey flushed even more as she realized she'd been assessing her appearance through the bond. "I-I must admit I wasn't paying much attention when Rose and I were getting ready. She had a bit to drink and I was worried she'd hurt herself."

Ben reached out with his hand to touch her hair while his other fell on her waist. "Are you always this flustered when someone compliments you..."

"That depends on who's complimenting me." She smirked as Ben pulled her closer, both his hands resting against her hips. Rey gasped softly as her conscious was flooded with a colorful series of just how much Ben liked her ensemble. It was almost distracting enough to make her forget their task at hand. "I can change into something less _distracting._ I wouldn't want to get this dirty in your mother's vault."

Ben winced. "I was afraid you'd say that." "Say what? ...Ben?"

"I am...having second thoughts..about going." Ben stepped away from her and grabbed his shirt, sliding it over his massive frame. "I...tried to... _meditate_...while you were with Rose. My mother didn't call to me or give me any answers and I... don't know what we'll find in there..." _or_ _if I'm ready to face it._

Rey tensed as he turned his back to her. She searched herself for the words to comfort him as a memory flashed between the bond. _Ben standing on the edges of the Death Star wreck, looking into the eyes of his Father._ Rey summoned the courage to speak as Han Solo's words echoed through her. "You do...or... _you are_."

She took a step towards him, placing her hand against his back. "You had the strength to save me...to _come back_ to me...and you have the strength to face anything else your past can throw at you." Rey nudged his elbow, tempting him to face her. "You don't have to second guess your abilities any longer..."

Ben's dark hair swayed against his cheeks as he hung his head. Rey kicked her hesitation aside and stepped into his arms, wrapping her own behind his back as best she could. He didn't return the embrace at first, but she felt his hand slowly slide to her waist and squeeze her tight. The touch sent a shock through Rey - the whispers of her memories on Exogul poking at the back of her mind. She brushed it aside quickly, eager to not ruin the moment.

"Ben..." Rey tilts her chin up and meets his gaze. Ben's deep brown eyes are glossy as he gives her the smallest smile. "I don't think I've done enough to deserve you..." He tugs Rey closer, trapping her against his chest as he cups her cheek. The bond flares between them once again with all it's _distractions_.

Ben's hand wanders against her hip and Rey can barely stifle her gasp she presses against him. "I see you're feeling better?" She meets his smirk with a wrinkle of her nose. He nods. "You've convinced me. I'll take you to the vault...on one condition."

"And what might that be?"

"You absolutely _cannot_ change out of this robe."

"Ben!" Rey swats his chest and steps out of his embrace with a huff. He chuckles and lets her go with little ceremony to retrieve the key from the bedside table.

Rey checks her appearance in the mirror once more, taking in her fashion choice with a new appreciation. _I never considered how powerful a nice outfit could be...I'll have to remember that._ She could feel Ben poking at her through the bond and is careful to shield her thoughts.

"Ready?" His deep voice made her jump slightly, despite looking directly at him. "Yes..."

Their footsteps echoed through the dark hallways as Rey followed Ben towards the back of the house. He'd taken her hand as soon as they'd left the room, his strong grip reminding her just how nervous he was. Rey's own mind was a junkyard fire waiting to explode. _What would they find? Why was Ben so worried? Should Leia have warned him about something? Was there something he was not telling her?_

"Rey..." His voice pulled her out of her thoughts in an instant. She met his concern with a warm smile. "Hmm?" "You're silent..." He reached up and poked her forehead with his free hand. "...even up here..." "Was I? ...I must be getting better." She grinned at him, hoping it masked her thoughts even more. They approach a massive set of double doors that swing open as Ben reaches out with is power.

Ben's shoulders are tense as they step into the master suite and Rey barely has to use his thoughts to find the source of his troubles. "These were...your parent's rooms aren't they?" Ben nods. "My mother loved this side of the house because of the view. I'll have to show it to you in the daytime."

A large painting in the sitting room catches Rey's eye as she glances around the room. "Who is that?" The portrait was twice the size Ben and seemed to illuminate the room in the soft moonlight. The beautiful woman's head was held high as she looked off into the distance, her brunette curls styled in an elegant updo, decorated with a golden tiara that matched her necklaces. _She looks like a princess...like a..._

"A queen..." Ben finished her thought. "This...is Queen Padmé Amidala Naberrie. She is the mother of Luke...and Leia. Which makes her my grandmother."

Rey's mouth fell open. "Where did she rule?" " _This_ planet. In simple terms...it has a matriarchal government. They elect a queen to oversee their affairs. Padme was one of the youngest to ever rule. My mother didn't always like to talk about her...she preferred to tell me stories of her childhood home, Alderaan. Sometimes I'd sit in here and stare at this picture while my mother did her work. One time...my uncle found me and sat right here...and told me all about her."

Rey's heart ached at the weight of his words as the memories flashed between them. She could see Master Luke, much younger with sandy blonde hair and a mischievous grin as he told his nephew an epic tale of a princess who helped her people. As she turned, Rey could also sense where Leia had been standing that afternoon so she too could listen to the tale once again.

"She's beautiful."

"She is...I can see where my mother got it from." Ben smiles down at her, the sadness in his eyes apparent. "See what I mean?" "What is it?" Rey shook her head. "This is a lot heavier than I expected. I should be here with...with my parents."

Ben's signature bristled significantly as he swallowed his own painful words. Rey turned and took both of his hands in her own. "You had no way of knowing Ben. No one did. You said it yourself...there's nothing to be sorry for anymore. Your parents forgave you..." He sighed and shook his head. "You're right."

"I know." She grinned up at him as his eyes twinkled with something new. Ben's face relaxed into a warm smile, his dark eyes boring into her own as if Rey would disappear at any moment. Rey squeezed his hands, shaking him from his trance. "Ben?"

"We should...continue...before it gets too late." He's almost flustered as he takes a step away from her and gestures at the painting. "Chewie said the door is actually behind this painting. Do you mind moving it?"

"Of course not." Rey reached out and concentrated her power on the portrait. It shouldn't have taken much, but Rey gasped as she had to channel more and more of her power. "I-..." Rey drops her arm in defeat, breathing as heavy as she would after running a training course. "It's not working."

Ben snorts as he leans against an armchair. "Are you serious?" Rey grimaces at his tone and he winces. "Sorry...what's wrong?"

"I can't move it. It feels like the Force is...holding it...against the...forget it. I'll try again." Rey thrusts her arm out and pushes more of her power towards the portrait. She can feel her anger build up inside her as nothing happens and she lets go again. This time, Ben meets her falling hand halfway, catching it on his own. He laces their fingers together and pulls her hand to his lips. "I'll try. That was unkind of me." Rey does her best to remain stoic and she lifts her chin. "Right..."

Ben takes a breath as he turns his gaze from her and focuses on the portrait. Without letting her hand fall from his, Ben steps behind her and reaches out with his right arm. He crinkles his brow in focus as he turns his hand and the portrait sweeps away from the wall. He releases a shaky breath and looks down at Rey in surprise. "I-...I felt that. The resistance of the Force..."

"I'm not insane. Thank the stars." Rey snarks back at him and leans into him.

Ben chuckles lightly and lets her out of his embrace. "I would never call you insane. I'm only so much like my father."

"Even when I reject a proposal to rule the galaxy?" Rey smirked, knowing she is playing with fire. Ben rolls his eyes and doesn't answer as he smirks back at her. "Shall we?"

Ben retrieves the key and uses it to unlock the safe. The door swings open to reveal a staircase leading into complete darkness. Ben shakes his head. "Remind me how I ended up with a family that cared for such dramatics?" "Come on then..."

They stay closer together as they step down the staircase and reach flat ground. "It's a hall...I can sense it." Ben doesn't let go of her hand as they both get a feel for their surroundings. Rey grasps his hand. "Do you feel anything?" "Yes...this way..."

Ben leads her through the darkness like it's nothing, the Force weaving between them as it leads him where they need to go. Ben stops them suddenly and turns, making Rey crash into his chest. "Oof- Ben?" "I have an idea."

He steps a breath away from her and brings their hand together. Rey feels the Force pulse around them as Ben channels something deep within him. The Force surges around them and with the snap of his fingers, Ben produces the smallest flame. "Damn..." He huffs in defeat.

_Try again._ She whispers through the bond as the flame flickers away and they're shrouded in darkness once again. Rey senses his power as he concentrates and he's able to produce a larger flame in his hand. It floats before them for a moment before he casts it at one of the torches on the wall. "There..."

"What _was_ that?" "Pyrokinesis." "Who... _when_ did you learn that?" Ben takes the torch from the wall. "My mother. She used to love having candles at the table." He smirks at her as her mouth falls open. "Were you expecting something more sinister?"

"I-" Rey shook her head. "I've never even _heard_ of it before. Not even in the texts."

"Maybe it was one of the ripped out pages." Rey frowned as they shared one of her memories of her combing through the Jedi texts on Ajan Kloss. There had been plenty of missing pages that she hadn't thought twice about. Most of them were from sections she didn't understand anyway. "Perhaps...but why would someone take it out...?"

"The ability to summon something like a fire is very dangerous...maybe _someone_...thought it wasn't meant to be taught."

Rey nods. "Can you teach me?"

Ben's eyes grew wide as he stared down at her. The fire puts a warm light between them, casting shadows along his sharp features. "I...could. If you want to try." Rey extends her hand to him with a grin and without breaking her gaze, Ben takes her hand and laces their fingers together.

He opens his mind to her and Rey sees his memories: _A young Leia walking about an elegant apartment with a city skyline - both his parents scrambling about as they prepare a table for guests - the look of shock on their faces as Ben lit the candles on the table all on his own._

Rey giggled softly as she opened her eyes - not even noticing she had closed them. "You said she _taught_ you!" "She did! ...by my watching her do it." "How old were you?!" "...I was three."

Rey can't hold in the fit of giggles that escapes her, or her surge of happiness as Ben begins to chuckle with her. Rey waves her hand out of his touch and takes a step back. "I'll give it a go." She takes a deep breath and snaps her fingers together, both of them jumping back as a large flame appears between them. Rey meets Ben's bewildered expression with a grin.

"You..." Ben gapes down at her like she's grown a second head. "How did you...?"

"I _watched_. I'm a pretty fast learner." Rey smirked as she cast her own flame down the dark hallway, lighting several torches as it went. Ben remains silent as he looks at her, his mouth forming words that never seem to come. Rey pokes at his mind to find the perfect blend of bewildered excitement and confused envy. "Shall we?" She takes his hand and they continue forward.

As they come upon a second door, Rey can barely contain her curiosity. _Someone as important as General Leia Organa is bound to have an exciting collection._ Rey pictures something magnificent, like a massive ballroom filled floor to ceiling with all kinds of treasures. She can Ben is just as curious as he turns the key and pushes on the door.

What they find instead, is an incredibly cramped and cluttered storage room. Several of the crates are stacked haphazardly as if someone didn't bother to put them back where they belonged while the rest of the furniture is covered in old sheets. Ben coughs as he puts the torch on the wall and waves his arm, attempting to move some of the dust around with the Force.

Rey steps carefully along the opposite side of the room, clearing dust off the higher shelves. "Well...at least we know no one's been here in a while." She coughs as a cloud of dust erupts in her face. "No kidding..." Ben pokes at a few of the crates with his boot.

Rey pulls at one of the sheets to reveal a row of glass cases. "Well here's...something..." Rey runs her hand against the glass case as she admired a vibrant garment inside. "Was this your mothers?"

"That-" Ben arrives at her side. "...is actually a collection of my grandmother's gowns. I didn't even know my mother brought them here...she usually let the palace keep them on display." "This one...seems special..." Rey could barely take her eyes off the gown as Ben poked at one of the other cases.

"I know this one...my mother really liked it. This was her wedding dress." "That must've been quite the occasion." "It was actually...a secret." Rey looked up at Ben in surprise. "A secret...wedding?"

"My grandfather was still a Jedi when they got married. No one was allowed to know. Attachment is..." "Forbidden." Rey completes his thought with a frown. "...I don't agree with that. I...I wouldn't have become a Jedi without..." "Compassion." "Yes..."

"My grandfather felt the same way. His love for my grandmother was his greatest weapon...and ultimately led to his downfall."

"He became Darth Vader trying to protect her...didn't he?" Rey wasn't quite sure where her conclusion came from, but she knows she's right before Ben nods at her. "It's an incredibly sad story...no matter how you look at it. A man protecting his family..."

Darkness weaves around them as Rey catches a glimpse at everything Ben learned about his grandfather. Even as she'd already put the pieces together, the reality strikes a chord deep inside her. _They were supposed to be a family...two young lovers and their twins...Why would Luke & Leia keep this from him? _

"There was so much they didn't tell you." The statement leaves her before she can stop it and Ben looks at her with an intense sadness in his eyes. "I've realized they were trying to protect me...I think...they both were..."

_He means Luke..._ Rey immediately steps into Ben's space and rubs his arm, soothing the thunderous feelings rolling off of him. He doesn't hesitate to pull her into his arms and hold her tight against his chest. "They deserved more time...I should have given them more time..."

"Everyone makes mistakes Ben...that doesn't mean they stopped loving you." She tilted her chin up and met his misty eyes, the smallest of tears forming at the edges. "I think I know the first thing about parents making choices that don't make sense on the surface."

He tenses under her touch. "That's unfair to say...I had everything...I threw it all away." "We are _both_ victims of the darkness in the Force Ben...and the best thing we can do is work through it... _together_ remember?" He answers her by squeezing her tight, pressing soft kisses into her hair. She can sense his struggle to tell her how he's feeling through the bond. _I know..._ She whispers back to him.

Rey turns her face and glances at the vibrant gown again, admiring its unique design while Ben rubs small circles on her back. _It's so...beautiful..._ Rey imagines herself in a gown just like it, looking like royalty. She was never one to consider the idea of dressing up, even when she joined the Resistance and Leia offered her a new wardrobe, she'd settled for her simple style. _Would I look good in something like that?_

"You would..." Ben chuckles against her as Rey rolls her eyes and pushes herself off him. "You think so? I've never been one to wear a gown..." "Then I'm officially adding it to the list of things to change..." He leans down to kiss her brow, then her cheek, the edge of her lips - while his arms held her close against him. Rey feels it again, the urge to drop everything and just get completely lost in him. It's almost frightening how quickly she wants to give in. She can tell Ben feels the same as his hand tilts her chin and he captures her lips in a deeper kiss.

Rey pokes on his chest as he ventures away from her lips and continues to kiss her cheek all over again. "You. are. getting. distracted. We are searching for something..." Ben instantly rolls his eyes and gestures around the room, letting Rey step away from him. "I don't know where to start. There's got to be hundreds of things in here."

"Well, we have to try...here!" Rey moved one of the crates and made some space on the stone floor. "We should meditate." Ben frowns at the space on the floor and then at her. "I...suppose that could help."

Rey plops down and crosses her legs with a smile, patting the space in front of her. Ben reluctantly gets down to her level and sits across from her, their knees pressing together as he crosses his legs. Rey closes her eyes and takes a breath.

_Be with me._ _Be with me._ \- _I am with you._

"Ben." She doesn't open her eyes as she feels his thumbs rubbing at the tops of her hands. "Concentrate." "Fine."

She hears him take a deep breath, and they both fall into a peaceful meditation. The Force flourishes between them as they search the room for a clue, poking and prodding at the various hidden treasures of the Skywalker legacy. _No...not_ that...no... _wait_ -

Rey's eyes snap open to meet Ben's as a crate tumbles off one of the higher shelves across the room. They both start to stand and Ben helps Rey to her feet as her robe gets caught under her. Ben carefully pushes crates aside with his power and picks up the fallen one. The lid snaps open as he holds it, revealing an unorganized pile of parts.

Ben's mouth falls open as he picks up a small leather bag from the pile. "These are..." He hands Rey the bag to hold, her mouth falling open as she feels what's inside. "Kyber crystals?"

He nods. "And parts...this is a set of lightsaber pieces." "You can rebuild your lightsaber! Ben that's what we were meant to find!" He blinks at her in surprise. "I...I don't know..." "Don't be silly! Your mother wanted you to find this - to start anew." Rey watches Ben carefully as he stares at the parts, a quiet chuckle escaping him as he closes the crate.

"This must be the next step she spoke of...perhaps if I grow more in the light I can find more answers...this..." Ben meets her gaze with a smile. "Thank you..."

"For what?" Rey reaches out and touches his cheek, smiling wider as he leans into her hand. "For believing in me...even when I don't deserve it."

"Ben-" Rey's words are swiftly cut off as Ben leans forward and captures her lips with his own. Rey kisses him back, running her fingers into his hair and keeping him at her level. She can hear the rattle of the box of parts as Ben discards it and grabs at her, pulling her closer to him. _Rey. Rey._ "Rey..." He groans as he shuffles her backward and traps her against the wall. Rey whines softly, immediate embarrassment rolling off of her, as Ben kisses at her jaw and moves to kiss her neck. _Don't be afraid...I feel it too..._ Ben's voice sends a vicious wave of an unfamiliar heat through Rey as she's lifted off the ground. Ben groans against her neck as her legs wrap tightly around his waist. Rey can feel him searching for something - _a couch, a cushion, something to lay on_ \- as he reaches out with his power.

Rey gasps in surprise as something is knocked over, sending several more crates tumbling to the ground with a cloud of dust. "Oops..." Ben chuckles as his lips continue to press into her collarbone. Rey shivers, both from their newfound boldness and the cold breeze that sweeps through the room. "As tempted as I am...to let you continue..." She loosens her grip around his waist. "I have this nagging feeling we're being watched."

Ben freezes, pulling back just far enough to meet her eyes and slowly releases his grip on her to help her to her feet. "I-" It only takes a moment for him to feel the same presence in the Force she does. She can feel his immense embarrassment as he helps her readjust the ties of her robe, keeping her at arm's length. His pale cheeks flush furiously as he glances around the vault.

"I don't know about you, but I think we found what we're looking for." "I think so too."

"Let's go...before someone decides to make an appearance..."

* * *

They leave the master suite in comfortable silence, keeping their thoughts to themselves as they creep back through the big house. They're especially careful as they pass by the other bedrooms and reach their own. Rey opens the door for Ben and helps him clear space on the dresser for the crate. As he brushes off the dust from his arm Rey's stomach does a backflip. _It's time for bed...together._ She doesn't understand why she's suddenly so nervous. _You_ _slept in the same bed earlier. This isn't anything new._ _Except...this time..._

"As much as I've enjoyed the view...you were right about getting the robe dirty."

"What?" Rey looks down at herself and gasps. The entire hem of her robe is covered in dust. With a glance at her backside, she can see the same fate was met anywhere she sat down. "Oh..." Rey flushed as she thought about how short her nightdress underneath was. She could barely keep her thoughts to herself as she made a decision. "Well...I guess I'll have to go without it."

Ben's eyes grew wide. "Really..." "Yes. Really." _E_ _ither that or I have to change_. Rey held her breath and she stepped away from him, pulling at the ties at her waist. Ben doesn't take his eyes off her as she releases the robe and rolls it off her shoulders. She folds it neatly over her arm before meeting his eyes again.

For what feels like the tenth time that evening, Ben Solo is staring at her like she's some sort of creature from another galaxy. Rey can feel herself blushing from head to toe, feeling the urge to cover herself again. "I know I'm not much-"

"Rey." Ben cuts her off as he steps closer to her and pulls her into his arms. Rey can't hold the squeak that escapes her as she's wrapped in his tight embrace. They stand like this for a long time, the sound of Ben's beating heart soothing Rey as she buries her face in his chest.

"You must know how much you mean to me...even though it's been difficult to...articulate." His deep voice sends a shiver through Rey as she hides her face. "I never thought someone...like me...would ever have a second chance. You believe in me. You always have."

"Ben..." She sighs against him, pushing her chin up to attempt to look at him. When she finally can meet his gaze, he cups her cheek and leans down to bring their lips together. Rey kisses him back eagerly, pushing against his tight grip to reach up and wrap her arms around his neck. When she finally breaks the kiss to catch her breath, Rey is met with Ben's grin - _his incredibly wonderful, perfect, beautiful smile._ Rey returns the favor and smiles back, feeling the same rush of joy go through him as he looks down at her and kisses her again.

Rey doesn't realize they're moving until they fall onto their bed in an awkward tangle of limbs. Rey leans up on her elbows as Ben kicks his boots off, grumbling as he fumbles to find his footing and climb over her. "Everything alright?" "Never been better." Ben leans down and captures her lips, careful to not crush her under his massive... _everything_. As Rey basks in the glow of their shared euphoria and the happy hums of the Force, Rey catches something through the bond that makes her freeze under his touch.

"Ben. You're exhausted."

Ben's brow wrinkles as he leans on his arm and stares down at her. "What?"

"You...we should rest." Rey can barely believe the words as they leave her mouth. She was moments away from her most secluded fantasy - the desires she'd hidden from even herself all this time - to instead tell him to get some rest. In truth, she wants nothing more than to rip off their clothes and make the most of their blossoming romance.

But that feeling is brushed aside by just how badly she wants to take care of him.

"Nothing can get past you..." He smiles lazily at her, the exhaustion apparent in his eyes as his shoulders sag. Rey tries her best to ignore the way he's pressed against her and nods viciously. "You need to rest. I know you didn't sleep earlier." "I wasn't tired earlier."

"And you're tired now...please..." She runs her fingers against his cheek. "There will be plenty of time...for _everything_ we want...but now it's your turn to rest...Alright?"

Ben answers her with a chaste kiss. "Yes..." "Good." Rey shuffles out of his grip as Ben sits up and pulls his shirt off. It takes all of Rey's remaining strength to conceal her thoughts as she admires him.

"If you keep that up, there won't be any resting," Ben smirks at her as he begins to pull the bed covers out on his side. Rey bites her lip as she turns over to pull at her own side of the sheets, knowing full well her nightdress is riding up on her waist and he's staring at her.

"You're not getting out of this." She slides under the blankets and lets her head fall against her pillow, her hair splaying out in every direction.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Ben turns out the light and joins her, kissing her firmly until Rey pushes on his chest. She doesn't protest when he wraps her in his arms and kisses the top of her head instead. Rey snuggles tight against him and listens to the sound of his steady beating heart. Eventually, Rey can feel it through their bond as Ben gives in to his exhaustion, letting go of all that he'd been holding onto. Rey couldn't help herself as her heart ached - remembering how she too would push herself when she had so little left to give.

As she slowly gave herself into her own sleep, Rey made a promise to herself to always make sure Ben was taken care of. Ben was going to always want to put her first, always want to give everything he had for her...and someone had to do the same for him.

She was going to love him as much as he loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am- WOW. When I planned out this plot point I did not imagine it would be such a difficult chapter to write. You'd think with all this time on my hands I'd be comfortable just writing away all day, but alas. I distinctly remember putting on Pride & Prejudice one morning to drum up inspiration and instead I started a [Reylo AU fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23407540) themed after the movie and worked on that for a week instead *facepalm*. Even with TROS on digital, I was too distracted to really buckle down and decide how I wanted to execute this part of the story. But we powered through - I'm really not the writer I want to be.
> 
> Notes:
> 
> \- bit of a headcanon that Leia and Luke didn't give Ben the full backstory on their lineage. I can't imagine it was their favorite story to tell and Ben was obviously young before everything went south. I was initially going to have this whole connection made between Rey being a Palpatine & his involvement in the fall of Anakin but that was not something I enjoyed outlining...let alone writing. We don't have time for that in this domestic bliss fic. 
> 
> \- If you're wondering "where the hell did fire-bending come from?" I fact-checked myself here: [Pyrokinesis](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Pyrokinesis)
> 
> \- [visual inspiration for the collection of Padme's dresses](https://i.redd.it/2cwty1krgwa11.png)
> 
> \- [Rey's robe (nightdress is same fabric style)](https://i.etsystatic.com/17147110/r/il/662f95/1894605741/il_570xN.1894605741_8v3a.jpg)
> 
> If you're still out there following this and haven't been frightened away by my sub-par prequel references or terrible updating schedule, here's to you. I hope your quarantine snacks stay replenished always. I have a few ideas for where I want to go next so I'll try to work on those as soon as I can! I'm still undecided on _how_ I'll bring ol' Hux back into the story but I really want him to return.
> 
> If you don't hear from me for another month...blame Tom Nook.
> 
> On a completely separate side note - what is a song that reminds you of Reylo? Dua Lipa's _Love Again_ from her new album has made its way to my writing playlist and I love it so. Let me know! Thanks for reading!


	9. all was golden in the sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated May the 4th everyone! I'm seizing this opportunity to post this update even though it's on the shorter side. As always, more notes at the end - Enjoy!

Rey takes a hearty scoop of the fresh fruit from the incredible breakfast spread the house droids had prepared for them. Rose had it made up on the patio, overlooking the beautiful lake that sparkled in the early morning sunshine. Rey couldn't help is as she smiled and chewed her food, catching Ben's gaze as he poured himself a cup of caf. "How can you drink it like that?" Rey scoffed at him as he put the cup to his lips. "Without anything to make it sweet?" Rey was particularly found of cream and sugar once she'd discovered it on Ajan Kloss.

"I prefer it this way." _As did my mother._ Ben winks at her as the sounds of Poe and Finn carry through the open patio doors. "Whose idea was it to eat _outside?!_ " Finn groans and rubs his eyes as he steps onto the patio. Poe is close behind him, his features pinched in disapproval. "Both of you sit down and quit your whining!" Rose pushed behind them with her cup of caf and an extra bowl of fruit. "Your hangovers won't get any better if you don't eat anything - and we have a lot to prepare for today!"

_Is that how Rose handles her hangover? With brute optimism?_ Ben smirked in Rey's direction as they observed the petite woman. Rey nodded slightly. _It's more like 'not even a hangover can stop the great 'Commander Rose_ _Tico'. - I admire that_.

"Urgh don't remind me, Rose." Poe collapses into his seat beside Finn, graciously accepting the cup Rey hands to him. "How the hell are you two not as beat up as we are?" He nods in Ben's direction. "You were drinking like a monster!"

Ben merely shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not sure- maybe it's all that power in the Force giving us alcohol immunity?" Rey nearly spits her caf across the table as she stifles a laugh. "Is that a thing?" Finn perks up. "It is _not._ " Rey shove's Ben's shoulder as he starts to laugh. Poe frowns at them as he serves himself his food. "Very funny. Alright Rose, what's on the agenda?"

Rose looks annoyed as she looks up from her food. "You don't remember?" "Of-of course I do! But-" Poe sputters as Rose begins to laugh. "I'm teasing- man you two are something else this morning." She flips over her datapad and begins typing. "Let's go over what we got. We need to arrive at the citadel by 900 hours - one of the senators will be there to escort us in..."

While Rose reviews their entire plan for the day, Rey distracts herself with her meal. The new political aspect of her friends' life is incredibly boring to her and she's almost thankful she wasn't roped into becoming a Resistance leader. It seemed like the last place she'd want to make a difference. Ben, on the other hand, seems entirely fascinated with Rose's itinerary. _Did he enjoy being a leader? I wonder..._ Sensing her focus on him, Ben turns his head and smiles at her.

"Well that all sounds exciting as ever." Poe takes a bite of his toast and nods at the couple. "What are _you_ two going to get up to while we're gone? With the house all to yourselves? Should we place any more bets?" He wrinkles his nose at Rey as she rolls her eyes. Ben takes a long sip of his caf and raises his eyebrows at her. _There are things I'd like to say, but I don't want to be a dead man. - Best not press our luck then._

"STOP with the mind-reading and answer the question-" Finn points his fork at them with a somewhat menacing look in his eyes. Rey nearly chokes on her food as she answers. "For _your_ information, we're going to finish building Ben's new lightsaber."

"New lightsaber?" Finn echoes. "What happened to the _old_ lightsaber?" "Not that anyone here misses it in any way," Poe chimed in

Ben swallows his drink and sets his cup down. "I threw it in the ocean on Kef Bir..." He pauses before pointing at the basket of condiments. "Rey would you pass me that-"

Finn and Poe share a look of genuine shock as Rey hands Ben the basket. Rose looks up from her datapad, her mouth falling open as she catches up in the conversation. Glancing around at her companions, Rey witnesses the change in their expressions one by one. With the support for Rey's feelings aside, it seems like this is the first time everyone's new reality is setting in. Kylo Ren was gone - he is nothing more than a memory.

"Pardon me, General-" C3po waddles out onto the patio with a datapad in hand. "Commander Connix will be arriving shortly. There seem to have been some complications with the location of the new base." "Complications?" Poe snaps his attention to the droid. "What kind of complications?" "I am afraid they are to be communicated in a private meeting this afternoon. General Calrissian gave direct orders - he also has a direct transmission for you whenever you are ready." "Well, put him through. I'm not getting any younger." Poe moves his plate aside and makes room for the datapad.

Rey feels like she's been blasted with cold water as she feels Ben's signature bristle beside her. He sits frozen in his seat, staring down at his caf with a schooled frown. _Ben...we can step away..._ \- _No, no...it's alright...he won't even know I'm here._

"Lando, good to hear from you-" Poe smiled as the holo appeared. "I hear it's been a bumpy ride?"

"That's a nice name for it, Poe. It seems our target system is tangled in the remnants of the First Order trade routes. I made the executive decision to relocate the remnants of our forces back to Ajan Kloss until we get things in working order. Zorri was able to intercept my transmission-"

Rey allows herself a moment to keep eating as Lando prattles on - hoping to not draw any attention towards her and Ben. Ben barely moves, taking a casual sip of his caf to finish it off. Rey reaches up the table to find his other hand, lacing their fingers together as it rests on his knee. _Just say the word and we'll go..._

"That's so good to hear Lando." "It seems like nothing compared with what Jannah's told me. I'm sure you've got your hands full with all that _personal_ First Order intel."

Rey winces as all eyes fall on Ben - Lando continues to chuckle to himself like he's told a good joke. "I know from experience Solos are quick to talk when their life is on the line- _especially_ when there's a girl involved."

Rey's mouth falls open as Ben's entire mood changes. He leans back in his seat, rolling his eyes and huffing like a moody teenager. "Of course..."

"Tell him to wipe that smug look off his face. I know there is one - just like I know exactly where to find those old Holos of his 3rd birthday party."

Rey perks up immediately, grinning from ear to ear as she watches a blush spread on Ben's pale cheeks. Rose saves the day once more and convinces the generals to change the subject and get more information on the arrival of their reinforcements. As the trio becomes engrossed once more in their preparations, Rey begins clearing some of the dishes. She kicks at Ben's boot and encourages him to follow her.

Heading into the kitchen, Rey peeks over her shoulder to check that they're still alone. "So that was... _interesting_?" "The part where my uncle completely embarrassed me in front of your friends? Or-" "All of it." They set the dishes down in unison, Rey turns to face him. "I'm...just happy we can all be together like this." Ben takes both her hands and pulls her closer, his voice dropping as he leans towards her. "I'm happy so long as you're happy..." "Oh really...? I would be _happy_ to see that holo of you as a baby." "Oh- not a chance." Rey hums softly as Ben presses his lips to hers, his large hands cupping her cheek.

"WHOA!" Finn's voice echoed through the kitchen followed by the clatter of silverware against the tile. "A little warning... _please!_ "

"Finn-" Rey groans as she turns out of Ben's embrace. "Are you serious?" She shoves Ben's chest as he turns his face away and chuckles.

"I am _hungover_ and I am still adjusting to this whole... _this_ " Finn waves his hands at them as he bends down to pick up his mess. "I came in to tell you that we're leaving soon. We should be back just before sunset- Jannah, Kaydel, and Kin will all be coming back with us. Lando will also be here the day after tomorrow."

"That's wonderful!" Rey notices one of the house droids buzzing down the hall and grins. "Maybe we can plan a nice dinner this evening."

"I think everyone would appreciate that." Finn crossed the kitchen to set his dishes down. "Chewie will still be around- working on the Falcon. So you will have the house to yourselves. Which...I'm not even going to start in about that. I'll see you both later." Finn makes his escape before Rey can slap him upside the head.

Ben leans against the counter, chuckling at her as she crosses her arms. "They really are like...brothers to you." "Annoying brothers who don't know when to hold their tongue. One time I found them in the Falcon's-" Ben puts his hands up. "Oh, I get it. I get it. No payback needs to be served on our part." "Definitely not." Rey leans over and kisses Ben's cheek. "Let's go find out how to program the house droids for dinner before Rose leaves."

Ben thinks for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "We could always cook it ourselves." Rey's mouth falls open in surprise. "You can cook?" "...Yes...can you?" "I...well I've learned a little...I just didn't think you'd..." Ben rolls his eyes playfully. "I didn't have meals made for me until _long_ after I became Snoke's apprentice. I made use of some skills in the meantime." "Well...then I'd love to see it then..." "Perhaps you'll learn a thing or two." "Very funny..." It's Rey's turn to roll her eyes as she steps away from him, ignoring his lingering grip on her wrist.

"Let's go see them off."

* * *

Rey had forgotten one thing about making a lightsaber: it was _very_ boring.

Ben sat cross-legged against the couch in the sitting room, staring at the pile of pieces he'd pulled out of the crate over the last few hours. He'd had a good rhythm at first, having a good idea of what he wanted to make and creating a proper base for his saber. Rey put her chin on her hands against the table - her desire to tinker becoming harder and harder to stifle. She catches Ben's eye for the first time since they'd started.

"Isn't this _exciting_?" "I'm not bored." "You're also not a very good liar." "You think so?"

Ben doesn't answer her and he turns his work over in his hands. "I'm debating having a crossguard again. It was...useful for what it was. What do you think?" Rey stares at the pieces with pouted lips. "You fought well without one didn't you?" "I did...plus the cross guard was always a little...unpredictable. I burned my hand a few times when I first learned to fight with it." He watched Rey as she flipped a discarded piece over with two fingers. "You should find something to work on." "Hm?" She looked up at him. "You don't have to watch me the _entire_ time. I know it's boring." "I'm sorry..." "Don't be."

As if on cue, bb8 comes rolling into the sitting room beeping a greeting at Rey. "bb8!" Rey smiles. "Where've you been hiding?" The droid beeps a sassy response. "A perimeter check? That's very brave of you. What happened to you antennae?" The little droid rolls up to Rey, drooping his head towards the floor so Rey can get a better look. "Oh, that's an easy fix." Rey reaches for one of the tools on the table and begins to fix the antennae. She makes short work of it, but bb8 begins to chirp off a list of things that have been bothering him - a panel on his side has come loose and he's positive he'll fry a chip if he doesn't have his mainframe looked at. Rey giggles to herself as she obliges him and gives him a full check-up.

She can sense Ben staring at her as she closes one of bb8's panels. "What is it?" She meets his eyes as he tucks his chin in his hand. "It's silly." "Tell me." "I just remembered how...a long time ago...it was so important for me to find that droid. The droid and the girl that came with it." Rey knows she's blushing furiously but rolls her eyes anyway. "You mean when you took _me_ thinking I'd have the information." "I had my reasons...even if not all of them were clear to me yet." Rey bites her lip as Ben smirks at her - bb8 chirps in response, breaking off their moment. "bb8 that's not nice!" She taps the top of the droid with her tool. "Besides, you were very helpful to the Resistance and that's what matters most."

Ben chuckles as he twists the two pieces of his lightsaber hilt together. "Never underestimate a droid." Rey blinks at him in surprise, realizing Ben doesn't even know he's quoting his mother. Rey's stomach growling interrupts her before she can speak of it. "Oh."

"You should go find something to eat." "Would you like anything?" "I'm alright for now."

Rey leans against the table and gets to her feet, groaning at the ache in her legs from sitting for so long. She makes her way to the kitchen, bb8 close behind her as she looks for something to eat. One of the house droids sits against the wall, awaiting her command - Rey pulls up a menu on the datapad Rose left of the counter, perusing her different options. She settles for a meat and cheese sandwich, typing in the command for two servings and letting the droid do the rest.

As the house droid buzzes around the kitchen, Rey uses the datapad to identify the system's mainframe. "bb8, is there a way to power _off_ the house droids?" bb8 chirps at her in confusion. "Well Ben and I were thinking of cooking - but it doesn't seem like we can access the ingredients in the cupboards without the droids..." bb8 rolls over to an access panel at the back of the kitchen and gets to work looking for a solution. "I'll leave you to it then?"

Rey accepts the plate of sandwiches from the house droid and carries them back into the sitting room. Ben glances up as she approaches with a smirk. "You brought two sandwiches?" "There are two of us," Rey smirks back as she sinks onto the sofa behind him. He leans back, setting his saber down and resting his head against her knee. "Are you always going to insist on taking care of me?" Rey resists the urge to run a hand through his hair, lifting her sandwich to take a bite instead.

"You'd better believe it, Solo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for such a short update! My back half of the original draft for this entire chapter wasn't done, so I decided to take out this section and make it it's own mini-chapter! For anyone out there still keeping up with this, I hope it brought a smile to your face :) Chapter title inspired by Panic at the Disco!
> 
> Lando's teasing was heavily inspired by other fics & the little that we know about their relationship. I like to think he would've rolled with the punches and been really happy Ben turned. I also like the idea that he and Maz would've shared a private conversation following Leia's passing where he catches wind of her line in the movie! That was my thought process on that.
> 
> Fashion-wise everyone is still in their usual get-ups! Rey has her usual tunic style (maybe with some darker tones to mix it up) and Ben is still in a regular shirt/slacks in my mind's eyes. She hasn't dipped into the dress department just yet.
> 
> My next update has been a slight obsession of mine during this strange time, so I'm hoping I can finish it up soon! I hope everyone is staying safe in these crazy times!


	10. like it's the only thing I'll ever do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I am so excited to share this update! If I catch any mistakes later I'll be sure to patch them up. I hope you enjoy :) Notes at the end!

Rey looks up, taking a moment to admire the gorgeous sunset as she finishes wiping off the large table in the center of the dining room. She'd opened up the windows to get some fresh air - allowing the radiant pink and purple clouds to cast a warm glow in the room. She could sense the Falcon, as well as another transport, soar over the house as she tucked in the last dining chair.

"They're back!" Rey hurried into the kitchen, nearly tripping over the disabled house droid as she came around the corner. Ben turned from the sink, setting down the last plate of bread rolls on the counter. "Excellent timing-"

Rey joins him as she looks over everything they'd prepared together. Ben sold himself short, he was an _excellent_ cook - and an excellent teacher. Rey had found herself good at two things when it came to cooking: boiling water and chopping vegetables - though Ben would argue she needed to work on her knife technique. Ben was as patient as he could be with her - showing her each step and never making her feel like she wasn't good enough.

Rey had always been good at hiding her certain…set-backs when it came to being a regular person. Jakku had never made her feel out of the ordinary - she was always just… _herself_ …a scavenger looking to make it to her next meal. Even the biggest portion took just a couple of drops of water to prepare. It wasn't until she'd traveled with the Resistance that she learned just how much time went into cooking.

Rey picks up one of the spices and hands it to Ben. "This looks fantastic Ben. Everyone is going to be so pleased." He takes the jar with a smirk. "They'd better be…you made it after all." He leaned over and kissed her cheek before letting the spices float back into the cupboard. "Oh no! You're getting twice the credit I am! We worked together!"

"I know…" Ben only smiles at her, his dark eyes glistening with mischief as he finishes cleaning up. Rey can feel the blush on her cheeks as she smiles back at him. She inches closer to him as the Force thrums happily between them. This feeling - this content happiness - is something Rey never expected she'd get to have in Ben's presence but somehow, whenever they're together now... it's there. _It can't possibly be taken away now, not when we've gotten this far._

The sound of voices echoing through the foyer pulls their attention from each other. "Right on cue…" Rey winces. "I'll go get them." "I'll be here." Ben's hand, which now rests on her waist, slides off her and he busies himself with straightening one of the stacks of plates. Rey reluctantly steps away from him and makes her way to the others.

"Welcome back!" Rey turns the corner, her beaming smile crumbling in an instant as she takes in her friend's stormy expressions. Their feelings of frustration hit her like a tidal wave. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Long day." Finn gives her a small smile to go with his short answer. "You can say that again," Poe grumbles as he steps past Rey and shucks off his jacket, tossing it towards an innocent vase. "What's that smell?"

"Ben and I made dinner…if anyone wants to join us." Rey feigns a smile as she looks at Jannah, whose entire face has wrinkled in disgust. "The Supreme Leader fancies himself a cook now? I thought-"

"Jannah we talked about this." Finn cuts her off. "I'm only joking. Relax _General_." He rolls his eyes at her as Rose steps between them. "I think we could all use some food in our stomachs. Let's go." Rose rallies the group into the kitchen as quickly as she can, winking at Rey over her shoulder.

Rey follows closely behind, smiling to herself as they all begin to praise the looks of the homecooked meal. Rose is the first to acknowledge Ben, who's made himself at home in the corner of the kitchen. "You made all this?!"

"It was Rey's idea- I just helped with the busy work."

"You're being modest- both of you! This is incredible!" Rose does another lap of the island as she marvels at the different dishes. "Finn- isn't it nice?"

Finn nods briskly, surprised by his sudden involvement, and nudges his partner in the chest. "This beats ol' barrack food doesn't it Poe?"

Rey tenses as she feels a flash of anxiety spike through the Force once more. Her gaze falls on Poe, who is staring intently at Ben while he makes an awkward introduction to Beaumont Kin. "Poe…?" Finn nudges him again as he doesn't answer. Rey forces herself to step away as they begin to have a quiet conversation like she isn't even there. _What's his problem?_

"Rey?" Ben's voice pulls her attention to him as he appears at her side. "Hm?" "Are you alright?" Before answering, she takes another glance at Poe, who's accepting a plate of food from Rose. "I'm fine."

The atmosphere lightens and the group grows more comfortable as they scatter themselves between the dining room and the kitchen. Rey half expects Ben to stick to her side the entire time but she's pleasantly surprised by his confidence as he mingles. Kin takes an immediate liking to him as he realizes Ben has no hesitation in answering his questions about the First Order's immense artifact collections. He makes an even better impression when he steps away and brings back several bottles of Corellian wine.

Rey bites back her urge to laugh as he serves Kaydel and Jannah - who mostly keep to themselves in the back of the dining room - each a glass of wine, not giving either of them enough time to deny him as he moves on to serve Poe and Finn. The girls share a look of surprise before Kaydel laughs and shrugs her shoulders. "Could be worse right?" They clink their glasses together and continue to eat.

"So-" Rose leans against the island and pokes Rey with her elbow. "How was your day?" "Better than yours I take it?" "You have… _no_ idea." "Was the council difficult?" "There are some…additional complications with some of our plans. The Order's influence on the galaxy still lingers with some of these older leaders - some go as far as to challenge that Palpatine even returned. That his transmissions were fake or created by the Order."

Rey's entire body goes numb at the mention of her 'grandfather'. "They…they can't possibly-"

"It wasn't pretty…believe me. Poe and Finn kept their cool a lot longer than I was expecting but…we've got a lot of work to do." Rose sighs at her food and feigns a smile. "This is amazing though. You guys outdid yourselves." Before Rey can answer with more than a smile, Kaydel gets Rose's attention and she excuses herself - leaving Rey alone in the middle of the kitchen.

Ben appears at her side in a heartbeat, setting an empty wine bottle down beside her and pressing his hand against her back. "Rey…" She takes a deep breath before looking up to meet his eyes. _I'm alright…just letting something Rose told me to get into my head. - Finn told me things didn't go well today…the council was difficult. - It just doesn't make sense. - Politicians do a lot of things and making sense isn't one of them._

"That's freaky…" Jannah's voice yanks the pair from their conversation. Rey winces and turns to find _everyone_ staring at them, even Chewie. Jannah shakes her head as she chuckles. "Finn wasn't kidding…you really can…" She waves her hand at them as she takes a step closer. "Talk inside your heads?"

"A minor side effect of being two halves of the same soul," Ben smirks as Jannah's mouth falls open in surprise. "…more wine?"

"I'll just take the bottle, thanks." Jannah grabs a fresh bottle from the ice bucket and glances at Rey. Rey's smile is small, but it does enough to satisfy her new friend, and the other woman steps away. The others have already drifted back to their conversations.

Once she's out of earshot, Rey snorts. "Are we that obvious?" Ben shakes his head. "Finn must've told her something about it…they seem close?" "Jannah was a stormtrooper too. Her entire company defected together-"

"Oh." Ben winces. "That explains the…well…everything." "She'll come around eventually. Just like Finn did." Rey lifts one of the serving dishes with her power and starts to make herself another plate. "For now, let's enjoy seconds before the food gets any colder." "I can't say no to that."

Although he keeps a safe physical distance, Ben's feelings weave around Rey like a warm blanket. That feeling hits her all over again - the pure happiness inside him. She just wishes there was some way for everyone else to feel it and understand just how much has changed in him.

As their companions continue to enjoy their meals and get a little extra liquid courage in them, Rey and Ben find a window to ease back into the group conversation in the dining room. Finn and Jannah begin a heated argument about how he ' _got his Jedi powers_ ' so suddenly.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you have the Force, Finn- I'm saying I'd like to see you fight with a lightsaber. That's the whole bit i'n't? I've heard all about the last time you tried." Finn immediately bristles at her remarks. "There's more to it than that alright- even Rey says so and she's a Jedi master!" "I am not-" "Rey you're not helping." "Sorry-"

"Then let's see it then-" Jannah leans back in her chair and raises her glass to her lips. "I want to see you take on a Jedi." She glances at Ben as a mischievous grin forms across her face. "Or…maybe something else? What do you say, Ben?"

Rey grips her glass in alarm as all eyes fall on them- or really, just Ben- once again. _What do you want me to say?_ Ben's voice fills her consciousness. _Whatever you'd like…_ Rey feigns a smile and glances up at him as he shrugs his shoulders. "I…can show you a few things. Basic lightsaber form is pretty simple-"

Finn stands a little straighter, pulling on the edge of his jacket. "We- well I wouldn't be against it." He meets Rey's gaze with a smile - waiting for her to chime in. "Ben and I found some training swords yesterday- maybe you could use those?" "Good call Rey!" Finn's voice cracks a little.

"Dinner and a show!" Jannah toasts her glass as she rises from her seat. "Everyone! Outside!"

"Hold it right there!" Rose cuts in. "The first thing we're going to do is clean up our dishes and power up the house droids!" She puts her hands on her hips as she's met with a myriad of groans. "Get moving!"

* * *

Rey slapped her hand over her mouth as everyone burst into laughter at the unfortunate scene in front of them. Ben had accepted Jannah's challenge to teach Finn with some sparring and was going especially easy on him - but only Rey knows that. Finn grumbles aloud as he rolls over in the grass and retrieves his discarded staff for the tenth time.

"How do you keep doing that?! I said no Force powers!" "I'm not using the Force" Ben grimaces and holds his hand out to help Finn up off the grass. "You need to watch your footwork, you're leaving an opening with every step." "I'm leaving an opening? You're twice my size!" "Then you can work on your speed- you have to be able to anticipate your opponent's next move. The Force can only help so much with that."

Finn rolls his staff in his hand and lunges at him again, but Ben deflects him so quickly the force of the block knocks Finn backward into the grass- again. Finn curses loudly as he lands on his butt. "Come on!" Rey smiled as she tucked her chin on her knees, watching Ben as he helped Finn to his feet again.

"Oi Solo!" Jannah shouts across the patio as the two put more space between them. "What's he doing wrong? For us ordinary folk-"

"Where do I start?" Ben calls back, turning his back to Finn with a shrug. Rey can sense it as it happens - Finn levels himself and steadies his weapon, lunging forward with a grin.

_She's distracting you…_

Ben meets her gaze with a smirk and immediately twists to poke his approaching opponent square in the chest with his staff.

_Oh, I know._

Finn gaped at the staff in the center of his chest in shock. "You weren't even looking at me!" "I can't turn off my ability to sense other people. Can you?" "No," Finn grumbled as he knocked the staff away with his own. "let's go again."

"What about you Rey?" Kaydel nods in her direction. "Care to give us a real demonstration on taking down a _master_ lightsaber wielder?" "Yea Rey!" Kin chimes in. "Show em how it's done!"

Ben and Finn both turn at their companions' words as Rey shakes her head. "That wouldn't be any fun…besides…I would win." She winks at the entire group as they erupt in a fit of laughs and hollers. She meets Ben's gaze with a smirk, their memories clashing together as he holds his tongue and smirks back at her.

Finn is the only one to notice their little exchange. "Hey hey, none of that! Solo- let's go again. Don't go easy on me this time. " Ben hesitates to pull himself from Rey's attention and turns to her friend. "Alright…suit yourself."

Rey can't contain the overwhelming elation that takes over as she watches them continue to spar. Finn is her closest friend- the closest thing she'll ever have to a brother. Ben is…well…that's the real mystery now isn't it? Rey smiles to herself as she lets her mind wander - the blurriest of visions at the back of her mind plays out, solid and clear, before her:

_Finn and Ben, a little older and sparring with their sabers. Finn's would be a brilliant green, Ben's would be blue. Finn's grown a beard to match Poe's, Ben's hair is long enough to tie back in a bun._

Somewhere even deeper in her subconscious, Rey can hear the faint sounds of children's voices. Their distant laughter rattles through Rey's mind as she's interrupted by a presence beside her.

"Sooooo Rey-" Jannah squeezes onto the bench beside her, followed by Kaydel on her other side. "Rose was telling us earlier that you and him-" She nodded in Ben's direction. "You're an item?" Rey's cheeks flush red immediately, despite it being the truth. "I- well we're…"

"Jannah come on don't tease her- I mean I can't blame her. He's a _looker_." Kaydel takes a sip of her whine and grips Rey's shoulder. "Is it true he _proposed_ to you?!"

Rey's mouth falls open as she shakes her head frantically. "O-Oh no- How did you hear about that?!" Jannah snatches Rey's wrist in alarm. "She doesn't deny it?! Rey when the hell was that?"

"Before the Battle of Crait-" Kaydel answers for her. "Rey was missing up until the end of the battle, but I remember General Organa saying she was safe when Finn asked. Well, …now we know why."

"That's scandalous!" Jannah pokes Rey as she starts to argue, leaning into her. "And when I saw you fighting on Keff Bir- was that…a _lover's_ quarrel?" Jannah's eyebrows wiggle playfully as Rey pouts back at her. "That's an entirely different story- I wouldn't even know where to begin…"

"If I didn't know any better today I'd have thought you two were married. He looks at you like you're the last woman in the galaxy." Kaydel sighed. "It's hard to believe that's the same person…."

"The end of this war gave us a lot more than we bargained for didn't it?" Jannah finishes off the rest of her wine. "And that whole ' _two halves of the same soul_ ' thing- was he being serious?"

Rey nods, her chest swelling with pride at the mention of their bond. "It's called a _dyad_ in the force. We've been connected longer than we ever realized…"

"That's pretty intense-" "So-" Kaydel's words slurred a little. "Does that mean you're going to get married?! Like an arranged force marriage?"

"I-" Rey's answer slips away from her as she felt a wave of panic flash through the bond. She looks up and meets Ben's concerned glance, just as he gets smacked in the chest with Finn's staff. The pair stares at each other in shock - Finn just as surprised he got a hit in as well - as the group falls silent. Ben recovers with a roll of his shoulders and chuckles. "Good one."

Finn stands a little taller, puffing his chest proudly. "See, I know what I'm doing-" His eyes shoot out of his skull as Ben lunges at him again, sending him stumbling back. "HEY!"

"Well it's good things aren't too awkward then?" Jannah nudges Rey's shoulder. "I can tell you'd rather we all get along."

"I would…" Rey nods, thankful the subject has deviated from her relationship. "I can't imagine having to choose between all of you and Ben…" "Do I even want to know what your answer would be?" Rey shrugs her shoulders with a grin. "Find the other half of your soul and let me know." Jannah's mouth falls open as she smiles back. "Alright then _Jedi_ , I will!"

"Other half huh?" Kaydel leans back against the bench, knocking back the rest of her drink. "That's some really heavy stuff."

"What about you Kaydel? Anyone on the base ever caught your eye before?"

"Well…not really. Kin and I had a thing for a while but it got a little awkward. So I ended it." Rey's jaw drops. "You and Kin?" They all glance across the patio where Kin and Rose are sitting together. Rose is focused on the sparring, barely looking at Kin as he tries to make a conversation with her.

"As you can see he took it pretty well." Kaydel scoffs as Jannah reaches over to squeeze her knee. "You're too good for him anyway." "Rose seems to have the same idea," Kaydel muttered. "she's barely even paying attention to him. I always had a feeling her liked her too."

Rey observes the scene before her with a newfound interest. She'd never really paid any attention to the romantic escapades of the Resistance - she'd always been a little to focused on herself and her Jedi training. _Not to mention your growing feelings for the enemy that you had to hide from his mother - your master._ It didn't surprise her that Rose wouldn't notice someone coming on to her - she too was always so focused on the work she had in front of her.

Rey recalled the day Finn and Rose had "broken up' - as they'd called it. Rose had fallen headfirst into being one of the main engineer operatives for the meager Resistance fleet - her days filled with endless work at the General's side. Finn was constantly on missions with Poe and eventually, the two had drifted apart as friends.

When she turns her attention away from Rose and Kin, Rey catches Poe staring at her with his same stormy expression on his face. He looks startled as she notices him and quickly looks away from her, turning back to whatever Kin is saying. Rey's nose wrinkles in disgust as she reaches her limit. _What the hell happened to him? Why would he be so upset if the council gave him trouble and not tell me why?_

Against her better judgment, Rey narrows her eyes and surrenders to the lingering temptation to look into his mind. Poe's head snaps in her direction as she reaches out with the Force and he glares back at her. "I'm going to bed." He announces suddenly, getting to his feet and making a swift exit towards the house before anyone can stop him. "Poe!" Finn calls after him, but he doesn't stop.

"What's his problem?" Jannah frowns at Kaydel. "He's been off since the last meeting we had- some slimy senator pulled him and Finn aside and gave them some bad news. He said he had to talk to Ky- Ben before he could run it by me." Rey turns in surprise. "He said he has to speak to Ben? When did he tell you this?" "He told Ben at dinner, didn't he tell-"

Just then, Finn and Ben join them on the patio. "That was…pretty useful stuff Solo. I learned a lot." He hands Ben the training sword with a smile. "I'm gonna go check on Poe-" "I'll stop by later." "Right. Yea that'll be good."

Everyone goes about their separate ways: Rose invites Jannah and Kaydel to stay in her suite while Kin offers to stay in the Falcon with Chewie and do an inventory. Rey stays tucked against the bench as Ben approaches her. He reaches out to give her a hand, which she accepts. "What happened?"

"Poe's mood was bothering me…and he caught me trying to look in his mind. I feel so…silly." Rey takes one of the swords away from him and lets him lead her back into the house. "You're not- you were worried about him. I'm sure he's got a good reason for acting the way he is."

Rey enjoys the feeling of their joined hands as they stroll towards the sitting room. Ben puts the training swords in a closet, not letting go of her Rey's hand as he turns to her. "I can go ask him for you. He has something he needs to tell me in…private…for whatever reason."

Rey blinks as she processes what he means. "Oh." She can't help it as she scrunches her nose. It had been a matter of days and Poe was suddenly comfortable to give Ben something confidential. _Something he has to keep from you at face value. What could that be?_

"You know I'm going to tell you as soon as I get back." "I know you are." "Good…" Ben leans down to kiss her forehead, pausing to let his lips linger against her. "Rey?" His concern through the bond threatens to swallow her whole. Rey tosses her stormy mood aside and smiles back at him.

"I'm fine…" She seizes the moment, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him into a firm kiss. Ben squeezes her hip, grinning against her lips as she pulls away. "Walk me to the room?" Rey pecks him once more before stepping back. They make their way towards the hall in comfortable silence, moving slower than necessary until they reach the bedroom door.

"You'll be alright?" "Of course." Rey reaches back to untie the buns in her hair. "I was just thinking about how badly I want a shower anyway." Ben merely hums in response as he watches her hair tumble to her shoulders. "Well, …you enjoy that. It'll help you relax."

The temptations Rey worked so hard to stifle before come rolling back, encouraging her to open her mind to him and giving him a glimpse of her wandering thoughts. For a moment, she lets go.

"I can only imagine how relaxing it would be if-" Rey's breath stops short as Ben presses forward, trapping her between the door and himself. "Rey…" His leans closer to her, his chest rising and falling in an unsteady pattern. Whatever she let him see, it had done the trick.

"Ben?" Rey looked everywhere but his eyes, admiring every freckle and wrinkle until she settled for staring at his lips. "Something wrong?"

Ben smirked at her. "You're being unfair." "Me?" She finally met his deep brown eyes, batting her eyelashes like she was some kind of holo-star. "Unfair how?"

"Rey…" Something about his tone hit Rey like a bolt of lightning, her whole body shuddering as she held her ground. This power she had over him - that she's always had apparently - was so different. _You could have him in the palm of your hand._ "You already do." Ben's deep voice startled her so badly she gasped.

"Oh…" Rey's bravado sinks away in an instant, leaving her flushed and embarrassed. "That was meant to be…private." _Damn this unpredictable bond…_

"We'll have to work on that together." Ben tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering against her cheek. Rey simply nods in agreement, pushing at his chest until he steps away. "I'll see you soon then?" "Yes." Ben leans forward and kisses her forehead, pressing his hand against her hip. _I'll be right back._

As he disappears down the hall, Rey stumbles back into their room - letting the door click shut behind her. Her body sags against the other side of the door and she groans, slapping a hand to her head. _You really can't keep it together for one moment, can you?_

She makes her way around their room, kicking off her boots and shedding her arm wraps. It's impossible not to imagine what Poe could have to say - _what if there is a problem with Ben's intel? What if the council wants him arrested? He'd know you'd never allow that that's why he doesn't want you there._

As her darker thoughts serve her the worst possible scenarios, Rey feels the pull of Ben's force signature weave around her. He's still eagerly sending calm thoughts her way the farther he gets in the house. Rey takes a deep breath, steadying her thundering heartbeat as quickly as she can. "You can do this. Everything will be fine…"

* * *

Rey slides the fresher door open with a wave of her hand, letting the steam from her shower waft into the bedroom. She shivers from the sudden change in temperature, wrapping her towel tighter across her chest. A hot shower was one of the many new delicacies Rey has come to appreciate in her time away from Jakku. The Falcon's freshers and even Ajan Kloss' slimy bunker freshers had been a luxury to her - so a shower on this planet was a whole new kind of magnificence. Rey had taken the longest shower of her life, allowing herself to properly soak in the hot water, loosening her tired muscles and washing her hair with the soaps she'd borrowed from Rose.

Rey shook her second towel through her hair, tossing it back towards the fresher floor and starting towards the closet to find something to wear to bed. She nearly jumps out of her skin when the bedroom door slams open and Ben comes stomping in.

"Ben!" Rey gasps as she grips her towel against her chest. The bond flickers with a tidal wave of anger - a pure rage - as Ben runs his hand through his hair and fully looks at her. His jaw falls open as he takes in her appearance. "Rey- I'm sorry…I-"

"Is everything alright?" She steps closer to him, consumed with worry. "You look white as a sheet-" "I-" Ben groans and closes his eyes, stepping away from her. "It can wait a second." Rey starts to protest but stops short as she feels the edge of her towel sliding open. Oh…that.

"Let me get changed." She rushes past him into the walk-in closet and pulls the screen shut. She snatches the first nightdress she can find and pulls it over her head, letting her towel crumble to the floor. Ben's feelings continue to rage around her, even as she can feel him trying to subdue them.

"Ben…what's wrong?" She calls as she digs around for a robe. He doesn't answer, which sends her anxiety into another system. Rey yanks the screen open harder than she means to, pulling the robe closed as she crosses the room. "Ben?"

He's taken a seat on the edge of the bed, arched forward with his face buried in his hands. He looks up at Rey as she reaches him. "Ben. Tell me what's wrong… _now_." Ben's shoulders relax as he looks up at her, his hardened expression cracking in an instant. "Poe…gave me some news…it's not great."

"What did he tell you?" Rey clenches her fists and glares at Ben - not at him of course. He knows her better than that.

"Hux is alive…...and he's been taken prisoner by the reformed Republic." Ben takes another slow breath. "He is offering valuable information in exchange for his safety…information that could hurt the Generals' influence on the galaxy…" _and_ _Leia's influence…_

"W-what…kind of information could that be?" Rey crossed her arms. "He wouldn't say. He demands to say it to me - in person - or it can die with him when he gets executed" "He can't mean that. How do we know he's not lying?"

"Well…he was the spy, so Poe and Finn have reason to believe him. They said he put on quite the show in front of the council and it would be in our best interest to find out what he's talking about. The sniveling senator who brought him in wasn't much of an ally either - Poe says he seemed almost desperate to know what Hux's secret is."

"So we're going then- to the citadel tomorrow?" Rey cuts Ben off as he opens his mouth to argue. "You're not going alone, Ben. I won't let you." "I know you won't."

"Good." Rey stares at the ground, focusing all her energy on calming herself down. _You just spent an hour relaxing you're not about to waste it all on this._

"You smell nice…" Ben reaches out to tug her robe, pulling her closer to wrap his arms around her and rest his head against her chest. Rey melts into his embrace, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and running her hand through his hair. Their mixed feelings of uncertainty and anxiety consume the bond - making it hard for Rey to enjoy this moment of intimacy.

"I should stay up and finish my saber…just in case." "That's fine…" Rey pulls back, holding Ben's face between her hands. "You took this news well, I have to admit I'm a little surprised." "Oh, I didn't. I broke a lamp in their room." "You did what?!"

Ben reached up and ran his hand over Rey's cheek. "I was so worried- just for a moment. Everything is so perfect…Rey…I can't lose this…" _I can't lose you…_

"You won't. I will make sure of it." Rey grips the fabric of his shirt, taking a deep breath to quell her anger. She wouldn't allow it - she wasn't going to let anything happen to him. _Spy or not I'll skewer the man where he stands if he tries to hurt us._

"You're so cute when you threaten to kill my enemies." Ben chuckles, tightening his grip around her waist. Rey rolls her eye as he leans forward and presses a slow kiss into her exposed collarbone. He lingers for a moment, before pressing another kiss against her neck.

"Ben-" Rey's voice comes out lighter than she expects "Ben…your saber?" Rey wiggles out of his embrace, pushing him at arm's length. "What about it?"

"Don't start." Rey strides away from him and retrieves the box of parts from the dresser. She watches Ben as he sinks to the floor and crosses his long legs. "The sooner you get this done the sooner you can rest…" Rey bends over and sets the box before him. She catches his lingering thoughts of how much he enjoys looking at her as she sits beside him. "Now get busy…"

While Ben lays out the tools and saber pieces, he surprises Rey with a question. "Will you tell me about Jakku?" Rey is nervous to answer, keeping her eyes fixed on his tools. "I-…what would you like to know?" "I'd like to hear about it…if there's something you wanted to tell me. I feel like I only caught glimpses of it…back then…"

Rey nods in agreement, the weight of his words sinking in. _So much has happened since the day you met, there are moments when it feels like…you don't even know each other._ "Alright…I'll tell you…" Rey leans back against the base of their bed, thinking of where to start. "Well…once I was old enough to scavenge on my own…I found a shelter in the middle of the west desert. It was a gutted AT-AT actually…from an old war. I rewired a speeder so I could get around on my own…"

"Where did you stay before that?" Ben looks down at her. Rey's brow furrows as she tries to remember. "I'd stay in one of Plutt's ships…which…now that I think about it…was probably the Falcon more times than not. Plutt used to have me crawling around in smaller parts of the ship…" Rey bit her lip as she trailed off-topic. No one had ever asked her this much about life on Jakku before.

"Keep going…" Ben nudged her arm, his eyes still fixed on his saber parts. Rey tucked herself against him, holding her knees to her chest as she continued to tell him her stories. He asks a few more questions here and there, but he mostly just listens with a small smile.

As she prattles on, Rey finds it harder and harder to finish a sentence between her yawns. Her eyes grow heavy in the middle of a story about the time she rewired one of the Falcon's flight simulators while Plutt was taking a nap. Rey rests her head against Ben's shoulder, closing her eyes and giving in to sleep.

She feels Ben's arms slide underneath her, lifting her off the ground. He brings her to her side of the bed and drapes a blanket over her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. His voice fills her mind only, it feels farther away.

_I love you…Rey from Jakku._

Rey sighs softly, not knowing if he meant for her to hear that as the force lulls her into a peaceful slumber. She uses the last of her strength to close off her mind and revel in her happiness.

_And I love you._

_Ben Solo._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! This chapter was like...my quarantine baby! I hashed out a lot of the ideas back in March and it took me a while to get there where I wanted to be! It's hard to find inspiration in these trying times, but I try to work on this story a little bit every day to keep myself on track! Thank you to anyone who's been sending in sweet comments I really appreciate them!
> 
> Some technical details to mull over:
> 
> \- I am aware I reuse a lot of phrases! It's been tough for me to tell this story without them so thank you for accepting that. I will probably be giving the story a reread as I look for ways to expand my storytelling! I am an amateur at best and would be nowhere without Grammarly/spellcheck.
> 
> \- If you don't already know [Beaumont Kin](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Beaumont_Kin) is the blonde Resistance historian with several scenes in TROS. He was originally just a placeholder face/name, but I really enjoyed learning about his character! I also won't be pairing him with Kaydel or Rose anymore - that was more of just a conversation tool to move that scene along.
> 
> \- Hux is making his return in the next episode and I'm veryyyy excited. It might get a little angsty for a minute, but what do we expect from Hux?! Also...still debating adding some Hux/Rose into the mix because...I do really like them.
> 
> \- Can you believe we got to Force Bond 'I Love You' ...who would've thought? Not me!
> 
> That's what I've got for now. I hope everyone is doing alright and staying safe! Remember, even with fandom escapism, take some time to stay updated on what's happening in the world. Be respectful to your fellow fans, especially those who might be going through it right now. There is a lot of internalized racism within the SW fandom and it's VERY important that it does not go unaddressed. Don't hesitate to speak up when you see/hear something that doesn't sit right! 


	11. as long as i'm here, no one can hurt you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what'd I miss? I'm kidding! I apologize for the delay - life's been life! But if you're someone out there who's been patiently waiting for this story to update I gift you 8k of absolute fluff and angst with this exciting new chapter! As always if I catch a mistake I'll try my best to adjust it later. Enjoy!

Rey's eyes flutter open, the bright Naboo sunlight shining in her eyes through the open window. The curtains brush softly against the windowsill, catching the light morning breeze. _Did we leave that open last night?_ She rolls over to get the sun out of her eyes and finds the space beside her empty.

A familiar sense of dread rakes through her as she looks around the bedroom. "Ben…" Rey whispers as the door to the suite eases open and Ben's presence in the Force eases over her. "You're up."

Rey pushes herself up on her elbows, watching Ben as he closes their door with his foot, juggling two cups of caf and a plate as best he can. As she sits up, Rey notices his new wardrobe. He'd managed to find a pair of jet-black trousers to pair with a grey undershirt - still much too tight for his build. On top of that, he sported an exceptionally sharp looking grey jacket. _Something about that seems familiar…_

Rey winced as the rising sun got in her eyes once more, a very different kind of panic hitting her this time. _Today! The council! Hux!_ "Am I late? What time is it?!"

"You're not late." Ben takes a seat, handing her a cup and placing the plate between them. "I just woke up early." He hands her a fruit tart before taking one himself.

Rey wrinkles her nose as she inspects the unfamiliar snack, taking the smallest bite. "Did you get any sleep?" She takes a big sip of her caf, immediately surprised to find it as sweet as she likes it.

"I did." Ben gives her a small smile as he sips from his cup. There is a telling twinkle in his eyes as he watches her enjoy her drink. They both seem to skip over the subject as Rey's gaze falls on the new addition to his belt. The saber hilt is a dark grey color, almost as black as his trousers with silver accents. _I wonder what color it is…_ Rey mused to herself.

"Is that your way of asking to see it?" Ben chuckles at her, unclipping the saver from his belt. "I didn't even ignite it. Didn't want to wake you."

"Well," Rey shoves the rest of the tart in her mouth. "get on with it then!" Ben moves to stand beside the bed, rolling the weapon over in his hands. Rey takes another sip of her drink as he takes a deep breath. She can sense the smallest, most minuscule feeling of doubt in him as he ignites the saber.

"It's…" Rey stares at the beam, squinting harder as she tries to make out the faint specks of blue. "Is it blue? …or…is it white?"

Ben doesn't answer her as he tilts the blade towards his face, attempting to examine it as close as he can manage. "I've…never seen this before. It's like it…faded."

"I've never heard of a white lightsaber…have you seen this before?"

"Not with my own eyes," Ben deactivates it and clips it back on his belt. "but I have heard stories of them existing. The most notable belonged to a warrior who left the Jedi Order…but did not join the Sith. I read about her in one of my grandfather's databases…"

"That's perfect for you!" Rey exclaimed, startling him as his eyes fall on her jostling cup. "We're not Jedi- well…I don't suppose we'll ever be like the Jedi before us…but we're still…" "Good." Ben finished the thought for her as he took her cup for her and set it on the bedside table. Rey starts to move towards the edge of the bed, accepting Ben's hand as he reaches for her. "I think it's fitting." She grins.

"I agree." Ben pulls her forward, helping Rey as she stumbled off their large bed. She steadies herself as her robe slides open, revealing her choice of dress from the night before. This nightdress seems twice as scandalous as her last, the thin silk material clinging to her hips in a way only her undergarments do. _Undergarm- …I forgot to put on…_

Ben's mouth falls open in shock as his roaming gaze meets her wide eyes - Rey's current thoughts very present in their minds. "Are you- trying to kill me?" He chokes. Rey can swear she hears his voice crack. _Again-_

"Oh don't flatter yourself…" Rey's cheeks burn furiously as she wraps the robe back up and starts towards the closet. "I- I was a little preoccupied with all that was going on last night." She tosses a look at Ben over her shoulder, watching his as he casually crosses his arms– the bulk of his jacket doing very little to hide his toned biceps.

"Besides…" Rey smirks. "I usually go without them."

Rey shuts herself in the closet before Ben can respond, focusing all her energy on hiding her thoughts from him. She flicks on the overhead light, distracting herself with finding something to wear to the citadel. She digs through what she'd had brought in from the Falcon, wrinkling her nose at the various white garments. _If I'm facing Hux today…I shouldn't look so… 'scavenger turned Jedi' like…_ Rey bit her lip as she pondered her next thought. How did she want to look? Where had this sudden interest in changing her style come from? _You've never had these thoughts before…_

Rey settles on a pair of dark pants and a sleeveless grey tunic - made of far nicer fabric than anything she'd sported before. She layers it with a vest and one of her sturdier utility belts to clip her saber onto. As she pulls the ensemble on, Rey finds herself staring at all the closed garment bags that line the massive closet. _There's bound to be some interesting pieces in them. Maybe I'll have to take a look…_

Rey smiles to herself. She'd never had the chance to venture into a new wardrobe before - it was always what was most practical for being a scavenger in the desert. Then it what was most comfortable for her Jedi training and all the running about that came with it. For survival. Now she could wear whatever she liked, try whatever new things she wanted to try.

_With whoever you'd like…_

Rey took an unsteady breath as she thought of what had just occurred. Her relationship with Ben was changing, fast, and all that had passed between them was bubbling to the surface. The life of a scavenger was less than romantic, as was the life of a Jedi prodigy. Now, everything was different.

_We can do whatever we like. Go wherever we want to go. I just have to say the word and my friends will support us._

_But is that what I want…? Is that what he wants?_

_What do we want?_

Rey pulls on her boots, shaking off her worrisome train of thought as she nudged the closet screen open and poked her head out. "I'm ready."

Ben was standing by the mirror, sipping his caf as he ran his hand through his dark hair. He didn't hesitate to smile as he gave her a once over. "We almost match…" Rey cocked her head to the side as she crossed the room, catching a glance of their reflection in the mirror. "Oh…I didn't even realize-"

She compared the grey of her vest to the darker shade of his jacket. _Speaking of-_ "Where did you find this? It's nice."

"Chewie gave it to me early this morning…" Ben's tone was soft. "He said he'd found an old bin…deep in the cargo hold that hadn't been sorted." Rey ran her fingers over the jacket's sleeve. "I like it."

"Really, how much do you-" Rey dodged Ben's hands as he reached for her waist. "Let me fix my hair and I'll be ready. I don't want to be late for the meeting."

She met Ben's smirk with an innocent smile, batting her eyelashes in the way she knew got a reaction from him. He stared her down for the smallest moment - the way she'd seen him do in battle - before rolling his eyes and turning back to the mirror.

Rey stepped into the fresher, grabbing her brush off the counter and began tying her hair up as quickly as she could manage. She struggled to ignore the thundering in her chest as she still kept her thoughts to herself.

There was something in the air between them this morning, something very _different_. The more time she spent with Ben in these passing days, the more confident Rey had begun to feel. Hell, they'd been all over each other since the first moment they were alone. But this was still... _different._

The power of their dyad in the Force - their two halves of the same soul - had withstood the war and conquered death itself. It was a kind of permanence Rey had never been acquainted with before. Ben was hers. Ben wasn't ever going to leave her. _Ben loves you._

The memory of his words whispering through Rey's mind sent another shock through her. Rey stared at herself in the mirror, another kind of panic sweeping through her like a sandstorm. An unfamiliar sense of insecurity raked through her subconscious as she took in her reflection. Rey had never felt like her looks were very important - especially since there was never anyone on Jakku to appeal to. She'd received her fair share of compliments through the years, but nothing to made her think she was as pretty as those girls on the holos. Nothing to make her feel like she should be catching the eyes of handsome men. _You're just…_

"Rey." Ben appeared in the doorway, holding their empty caf cups in his hand. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Rey rolled her shoulders, accepting the fact as she spoke it. "Just nerves…about today…"

Ben merely nodded in response, not hiding his desire to look into her mind. Rey dropped her hairbrush on the countertop and started towards him, still keeping her thoughts to herself. "We should get going- I really won't hear the end of it if we're late."

* * *

"There you are!" Rose waves at the pair from the kitchen island as they cross through the foyer. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost." She slides a datapad across the counter into Rey's waiting palm with a smirk. "That's for you to hold onto. I left some knapsacks by the door if you need one."

"Something for us to read?" Rey hands the device to Ben.

"I packed it with plenty to do: old books and even some holo-shows if you're interested. Today is going to be…" Rose glances over her shoulder to make sure Poe and Finn are still out of earshot. "…pretty boring to say the least. There's going to be a lot of waiting around before we can get you-" She nods at Ben. "face to face with Hux. Poe isn't even sure the council will agree to let us have the interrogation in private."

"I'm sure they can be persuaded." Ben shrugs his shoulders. "I don't see the value in my public reappearance so soon? If certain members are still on such thin ice with the war end?" "We all agree." Rose took the dirty dishes from where he'd set them and passed them to a house droid. "Rey…you alright?"

Rey blinks in surprise, her pinched expression relaxing as she focuses on Rose. "I'm fine…just thinking…"

Rose looks eager to ask her more just as Poe and Finn make their entrance from the patio. "Are we ready?" Finn sets his empty cup down. "Chewie just commed in- the Falcon is ready when we are."

"Just about!" Rose nods. "I just gave Rey the datapad."

"Perfect," Finn squeezes Rey's shoulder as he passes. "The others are already en route to the citadel to the office ready." "Office…" Rey echoes. "We have a private space for extra meetings - courtesy of the Naboo court. It's really nice, lots of comfy couches and a beautiful view. That way it won't be too boring."

"Oh good." Rey feigned a smile, the weight of her nerves setting in. Ben seemed to be just as tense as he conversed quietly with Poe across the kitchen.

Rey took a deep breath, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other as they all prepared to leave the estate. She couldn't shake the lingering voice in the back of her mind that seemed to say 'take a good look around because things are going to change'.

* * *

Stepping off the ramp of the Falcon, Rey is immediately taken aback by the size of the citadel. The building - and all of the matching buildings around them are massive, dwarfing the Falcon in comparison. _A place like this makes a Star Destroyer seem like nothing more than an asteroid._ Rey cranes her neck to catch a glimpse of the elegant carvings along the sides of the buildings.

"Incredible…" She whispers as she glances at Ben, who studies the building with a neutral stare. "Have you ever visited before?"

"I must admit I don't remember." Ben takes her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I think I was spared any political gatherings on this planet - I mostly remember staying at the house…but it's been so long." He looks around and points across the grand courtyard at a much larger building. "I do remember my mother took me to a gallery just outside the palace once. That must be it over there, judging by the size."

"That sounds nice." Rey squeezed Ben's hand as his vague memories pass through her. _A young Leia, holding Ben's hand as they walked through a grand gallery filled with elegant paintings and sculptures. They'd stop at each one and Leia would let Ben practice reading the different plaques, helping him with words that he couldn't understand._ With her strange perspective, Rey realized something else.

There was not a single other person or creature in the gallery. They were completely alone.

"Judging by what I learned from my mother's days as a Senator...when I was that age…" Ben paused, his mood shifting slightly as he pondered his next thought. "She would've had to have a public space cleared out for her if she wanted to take me somewhere. There were a lot of people who would've wanted to see how…the newest _Skywalker_ was coming along…" Ben's tone is laced with a familiar venom.

Rey swallowed as she tempered the anger that was bubbling inside her. "That's…I had no idea…"

"She was right of course…and I don't spite her for it." Ben's thumb grazed Rey's knuckles as she met his eyes. "Those were some of the best days we had."

"They're ready for us!" Poe calls over. Rey's growing anger screeches to a halt as she's reminded of why they're even here. Her uneasy feelings from that morning come rolling back. _Well...here we go..._

* * *

"Stop that." Rey's eyes snap open as she glares at Ben, who hasn't stopped pacing the length of the massive window for the last hour. "What?" He frowned at her, his thoughts poking at her as Rey tried to keep her head clear.

"I'm trying to meditate."

"And how's that going?" Ben smirked as he sauntered in her direction. "You're not funny." Rey extended her legs out of their crossed position on the couch, ignoring the ache in her thighs.

Ben took a seat beside her. "What is going on in that head of yours?" He reaches out to push a strand of hair behind her ear. "You've been closed off all morning."

He was right - somewhere between the lake house and the citadel, Rey had decided to keep her thoughts entirely to herself. Part of it was a desire to practice, but she also didn't want to fuel an unwanted fire. Ben had enough feelings raging inside of him to carry them into the next cycle. They were both too anxious to be digging around in the other's head.

Rey sighed. "I'm just nervous Ben. I can't help it. We've been here for hours and there hasn't been any news."

"These kinds of meetings take an obnoxious amount of time. I would know."

"Oh really?" Rey raises an eyebrow at him as he flashes a knowing smile. "Can you think of an example to pass the time then?"

Ben extends his arm across the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling as he thinks of an answer. "Well…there was once a time when I'd wanted to lead a search for…" He glanced at her. "a certain… _person of interest_ when I was in that position of power. This person was…very _very_ necessary to me, but I always had these officers telling me why I shouldn't get caught up in the search. They were convinced this person was non-essential to our cause - or it'd become this massive debate over whether it not that person would lead us to the enemy. They'd go back and forth for what felt like hours - right in front of me...like I wasn't even there."

Rey leaned against his arm. "This person sounds incredibly important to you."

"She is," Ben smirked back at her, his deep brown eyes boring into hers with that same intensity Rey had come to know so well. "She is more important to me than anyone in the galaxy could ever imagine…"

"Ben…" Rey barely breathes the word, her chest growing tight as he leans closer to her.

The doors of the office burst open, startling the pair so badly they spring apart. Their companions come barreling in - Poe and Finn are in the middle of a heated argument now that they're in private.

"That's not what I said!" "Well, this is what we're stuck with now because of it! What are we going to do?!"

Rose pushes past them, looking more annoyed than anything. "Will you both SHUT. UP. - so we can give them the news?!" She puts her hands on her hips. "We have to brief them- Chewie will be back any minute!"

"Oh please- share the news _Commander_ Tico." "Watch it Dameron-" Poe waves his arm at her as he stomps towards a cabinet in the back of the room. "Did we stash any of that Corellian whiskey in here yesterday?"

Finn rolls his eyes and turns his attention to Rey. "Everything alright in here? It's about to get interesting."

"What happened?" Ben does little to change his relaxed position against the couch, despite his clipped tone. Rey follows his lead, leaning back as casually as she can manage.

Finn takes a breath through his nose. "The council has agreed to turn Hux over to us for questioning, but we have to place him under our _protection_ to do so." "Protection…" Rey echoes.

"Regardless of whether or not we find his intel useful, he's under the protection of the Resistance-" "Courtesy of General Finn-" Finn shot a glare at his partner, who knocked back a glass of liquor with little ceremony.

"I told you both in the meeting- it was just a feeling alright? Whatever Hux has to say to Ben _cannot_ get out, and we can't just throw in him some prison-" "Especially on some planet we have such little jurisdiction in…" Rose added.

"Exactly! You saw the way some of those greasy senators were eyeing him- will you guys just trust me?!" Finn sighs. "Who says we don't trust you?" Poe finishes off his drink, slamming it on the desk. "I'm just thinking the next time we decide to adopt another war criminal, we try not to announce it to the _entire_ galaxy's fractured government!"

"You're still on that? I told you I had to take the chance before that sleazy Senator Mib could get another word in. He was all over us! I'm also the one who had Kaydel and Jannah stayed behind to some damage control with the court!" "Damage control we wouldn't need if-"

"ENOUGH! Kin's on his way, with the prisoner in tow." Rose looks up from her comm. "They'll be here any minute so pull it together." She nods at Ben and Rey. "You two stay right there."

Ben shoots Rose a half-hearted salute as he sits up, bringing his hand to rest on Rey's thigh. She gives him a shy smile as their eyes meet. _He has so much of his Father in him…_ Ben sits up straight, running a hand through his hair as he mutters to her. "I can already sense how pissed off Hux is…this should be fun…"

The doors slam open once more to reveal Kin and Chewie with their newest addition, sporting a pair of handcuffs and a nasty looking limp. Rey had never gotten the chance to meet General Hux, but she'd seen plenty of him in glimpses of First Order propaganda and her friends' memories. He was a tall man, taller than Finn or Poe, with the brightest red hair to contrast his pale skin. Unlike his holos, the man before them was particularly unkempt. He sported a patchy, growing beard and messy hair that shrouded his sharp features.

Hux stumbled through the doorway, collapsing to one knee as Chewie shoves him a little too roughly. He cursed on impact, glaring up at Finn and Rose. "Quite the warm welcome-"

"So nice of you to join us General Hugs." Poe leans against his desk, crossing his arms. "I believe you have some oh so important information for us. Or should I say… _one_ of us?"

Hux sneers at the general as he surveys the rest of the room. Once his eyes rest on Ben and Rey his face contorts through a series of emotions: anger, confusion, surprise, even more anger. "Ren."

"Armitage." Ben sounds almost bored. "You're still alive. I'm surprised- to say the least." "That makes two of us. _Traitor_." "Bold words coming from a spy like you. I didn't pin General Pryde as the lying sort when he said he'd dealt with you."

"That old bastard couldn't fire a blaster to save his skin. And some of us had _allies_ in the med bay-"

"Well, lucky you." The edge in Ben's voice sent a shiver down Rey's spine. It had been so long since she'd heard this side of him. _Even then…it was never like this with you._

"Enough messing around- what's your intel, Hux?" Finn crossed his arms. "We don't have all day and we know it's important. So spit it out."

"It'd better be," Ben mutters under his breath as Rey pinches his thigh. Hux shoots Ben another glare. "For your information, my knowledge is of high interest to you." The former general's cold eyes fell on Rey as he spoke.

"Somehow I don't believe that." Ben sneered. "Almost everything inside your head is of such little consequence-"

"You'll change your tune if you wish to have a peaceful future with your Jedi-"

"Enough." Rey snaps, snapping everyone's attention to her. Ben's cold expression melts as he looks down at her. His eyes grow wide with concern as Rey inches the bond back open. _I've got this._

He visibly relaxes as their connection reignites. Rey takes a deep breath through her nose and gets to her feet. She slowly strides towards Hux and stands before him, watching him as he scans her up and down - as if she's a document or a piece of metal. _What is your secret?_ His cold blue eyes seem to shout as he meets her gaze.

"You…" Hux's face pinches in disgust. "I always knew there was something off about you. Some nobody scavenger girl couldn't just be that powerful - kill a Sith master and his entire trained guard…"

Rey ignores him, fiddling with the edge of her lightsaber as she reaches into his mind with her power. Rey had never really ventured into searching the minds of others - she'd managed to resist the temptation since Starkiller Base. Even then, that was the dyad hard at work long before either she or Ben knew it. When Snoke had searched her mind on the Supremacy, it had been _violent_ \- unbearably painful as he'd ripped her knowledge out of her.

Rey would never do that to another living person…but she could settle for what Kylo Ren had tried to do. She starts off simple, focusing on the intel that sits before her in Hux's mind. Rey resists the overwhelming urge to scoff out loud. _How boring…_ She digs even deeper, knowing exactly what she's looking for as she subjects herself to a violent series of his memories.

Hux's jaw drops as he realizes what she's done. "Wait-"

"He knows I'm a Palpatine. That's his intel." Rey shrugs her shoulders in an effort to combat the violent somersaults in her stomach. Just saying her true name feels like acid on her tongue. "Nothing new."

Poe and Finn audibly groan - changing the energy in the room entirely. "Are you serious Rey?" "Oh come one - I thought I'd felt something." "It's alright Finn, better safe than sorry." Poe pats his partner on the back in support.

Hux nearly falls on his face as he tries to keep his balance, his handcuffs making it hard for him to shift his weight on his injury. Kin and Chewie don't bother to stop him, turning to each other in annoyance. Rey wasn't aware Kin had been filled in on her more recent familial discoveries, but it was nice to seem him take it well. "What do you mean nothing?!" Hux sputtered.

Rey turns, not surprised to find Ben right beside her. His hand falls on the small of her back as he stares down at Hux with obvious disdain. "That intel is about as valuable as my being _Kylo Ren_. You have nothing else?"

Despite his circumstances, Hux rolls his eyes. "Well not all of us had some scandalous romance to fall back on _Ren_. I was willing to bet my life on that secret." "You always were a lousy gambler." Ben sneered.

"Alright, break it up." Poe steps between them all and helps Hux to his feet. "On the bright side, there's not galaxy altering intel that could affect our position on the council. On the not so bright side, we're stuck with you until this all blows over with said council. For your safety and ours - so...you're welcome."

"Define stuck with-" Ben grumbles.

"Easy there Solo, you were in the same boat just a few days ago. The council believes we are keeping Hux under investigation on our terms - so that's what we have to do for the day." Poe glances at Rey with a small smile. "We're the good guys…remember?"

Rey nods in agreement, regardless of the raging feelings inside her. _Poe's right. There can be no absolutes._ Hux wasn't trying to hurt them, he was simply trying to survive - a feeling Rey knew all too well.

She catches Finn shaking his head. "I don't like this." "Well I didn't like what you did in the meeting, so we'll call it even." Poe winks at his partner. "Rose - mind helping with these cuffs. I gotta go over that last report - we also have to figure out what we're going to tell the council. Kin, Chewie, come with me."

As they all disperse, Rose steps around Hux and grabs his wrists to unlock his cuffs. "Here you go-" He gives her a once-over, his eyes growing wide. "You-you're that…rebel from the Supremacy."

"The one you almost had executed? That would be me." She extends a proud hand towards him. "Commander Rose Tico, better known as _Rebel Scum_ in your galaxy."

Hux doesn't react to her joke as he reluctantly shakes her hand. "You're the one that bit me." "What a keen memory you have…Armitage, was it?" Rose smirks as Hux frowns. "Hux…is more preferable."

"I'm more of a first name or official title type myself. Ar-mi-tage…has a nice ring to it! Now," She clasps her hands together. "I'm going to make some tea before we head off. Rey? Ben? _Tea_?"

Rey nods silently, leaning into Ben as he guides her back towards the couches. She can feel Hux staring at them as they sit back down - Ben's arm tucked tightly between her and the cushions.

Hux takes a seat across from them, rubbing his wrists as he absently stares at the lightsaber on Ben's belt. He seems to calculate his next words carefully. "I see I was right to be suspicious about the manner of your relationship," Hux grumbles. "Especially since _you_ ," He serves Rey a cold glare. "spared his life aboard the Supremacy. Hard to believe a novice Jedi could best you twice Ren."

_He still doesn't know…_ Rey leveled a glare at the redhead as she struggled to keep her anger in check. "You think I killed Snoke alone." The man's face twisted in confusion. "I-I assumed."

"You assumed wrong." Ben's fit clenched against Rey's waist. "I killed Snoke. _We_ killed the rest of his guard together."

Rey half expects Hux to throw a fit, but he only leans back and crosses his arms. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Rey got the feeling Hux carried about as much love in his cold heart for Snoke as she did. "You betrayed him as soon as you had the chance."

"Well, you would know the first thing about betrayal wouldn't you?" Ben snarks back - spitting a curse in Huttese that makes Rey's gasp aloud. His growing anger swirls around both of them like a vicious storm.

"Why you-" Hux snaps forward in his seat just as Rose arrives with a tray. "Here we are! Here's some tea for you-" She shoves a cup into Hux's hand, balancing the tray against her stomach with her other arm. "Careful, it's a little hot."

Rose sets the tray down, signaling for Ben and Rey to serve themselves. Rey shakes her head as Ben unwraps himself from her and grabs his cup. _Rey- - I'm fine Ben_. Rey catches the scent of Corellian whiskey as he lifts it to his mouth. _Rose, you brilliant woman…_

"So…" Rose takes a seat beside Hux. "We are going to have to leave you all here while the council reconvenes. I humbly ask that you refrain from killing each other and we cannot afford to pay for any property damage. I've borrowed Kin's datapad-" The device is passed to her as Finn passes behind them. Rose turns to Hux, holding it out to him. "There are some old Imperial files that neither of us can make any sense of. Would you be interested in looking them over?"

Hux blinks at her like she's speaking Huttese herself, but she just shoves the datapad at him again. "You specialized in Engineering, right? That's how you helped design Starkiller Base? These documents are _all_ over the place but I've determined they fall under some kind of mechanics database."

"You want…my help?" Hux takes the datapad from her cautiously. "Well, you were willing to help us before, weren't you? When you were our spy within the Order?" "Well, that was…" "I mean if you don't want to I could always have Ben take a look at them. Ben, would you-" Rose starts to grab at the device as Hux suddenly pulled the datapad out of her reach. "Fine. I'll look at them."

Rey shoots Ben a surprised look as he nearly chokes on his tea. _You'd think she'd just ask you first? - Oh, she already did. It's an old old cache of Tarkin reports from the first Death Star. The whole thing is numbers and schematics that I have no background in. Hux had most of that crap memorized, just to impress Snoke. I didn't mention any of this to Rose though…she must've learned his background on her own. - Hmmm._

Ben turns his full attention to Rey, his eyes wide with concern. _You're still angry…_ Rey avoids his gaze, looking up at the ornate painted ceiling instead. _It's nothing we can't discuss later. Let's just try to get through the rest of this day without killing a man. So don't rile him up again._ Ben chuckles at her, taking another drink of his whiskey. _No promises… - You're impossible._

Rey finds herself clinging to his calm essence through the bond. The temptation to physically wrap herself around him sounds all too appealing as well. If she could just calm down - contain this anger - everything would be like it was before.

"What are they doing?" Hux's snarl pulls Rey from her thoughts and she levels him with another glare. Rose looks up from the datapad and waves her hand. "Oh- uh…it's just a Force…thing? You'll get used to it." Hux makes a face and immediately looks away from the pair, turning his attention to Rose as she opens another file on the datapad for him.

Rey almost laughs at the sight. Less than a cycle ago, not a single person in the galaxy would believe that two of the highest-ranked members of the First Order, the finest Resistance heroes, and the last of the Jedi would be sitting in the same room drinking tea.

One glance at Ben and Rey knew he was pondering the same thing.

If only Snoke could see them now.

* * *

The following hours for Rey are - in a word - _dreadful_. As soon as Rose and the others left them alone, Hux's confused composure turned sour. He alternated between glaring at Ben, glaring at Rey, and glaring at his datapad - flicking at the screen as he annotated another report.

Ben was no help either, alternating between looking at Rey, reading a novel on his datapad, and also glaring at his former subordinate. Rey memorizes the patterns on the ceiling again, rolling her lightsaber in her hand as she tries to concentrate on keeping herself together. She'd closed her mind off shortly after the others left, assuring Ben it was for the best. She really didn't want someone else in her head right now - not with an audience. Beside her better judgment, Rey turns her head and stares at the former general. What was it about this man that made her so…irrate?

"Did you need something-?" Hux sneers, whatever insulting name he wanted to add to that was obviously left out. "Don't talk to her like that." Ben snapped at him. "I simply asked a question." "You got an answer. Don't talk to her like that." "And what if I do? What will you do then _Solo_?"

Rey cuts Ben off before he can speak. "Why did you help us during the war?" Hux's entire face pinched as he mustered a response. "What?"

"Why did you become a spy for the Resistance? Why did you betray the First Order if you thought I was the one who killed Snoke?"

Hux takes a long pause, his blue eyes flickering between Rey and Ben before answering. "I said it before…I didn't care who won this war anymore. I just wanted…Kylo Ren to lose."

"So you wanted him dead?" The words escape Rey before she can stop them. She'd seen it all in his mind: all the times Kylo was in the way of his ambitions, all the times Kylo got the praise and Hux did not, all the times Snoke had thrown Hux against a wall - or worse…when Kylo had done it himself, all the times Hux had deeply considered getting one of his allies in the Order to poison Kylo's next meal.

Something deep inside Rey begins to bubble up, all her fear and anger towards what the Order had done: the things she'd witnessed on her own and in Ben's memories. The darkness in the Force that had consumed them all as they struggled to make it to the next morning.

"No." Hux bites out. "That would've been too easy." Ben scoffs at this and crosses his arms. Even with their closed connection, he knows to let Rey continue.

"What did you mean then?" Rey pushes further - that tempting desire to get the answer by her own means dancing at the back of her mind. "I wanted a way out." Hux knuckles went white against his datapad.

"I'm sure most of the galaxy shared that feeling. So why did you do it?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Rey snapped, leaning forward in her seat. "Why did you help us? What was in it for you?"

"I was _tired_ of it." Hux growls. "Tired of working my ass off day in and out for a master who ignored me - only to be stuck with his head grunt would could throw me against a wall when we had a disagreement. It wasn't-" Hux steels himself, taking a slow breath through his nose. "Starkiller was mine. My project - and the only credit I got for it was its failure. I got nothing in the end."

Rey clenched her fist around her lightsaber. "You want to talk about _nothing_? I spent most of my life on Jakku, _alone_ , waiting for my parents who would never come back for me because-" She swallows thickly. "Because all that time they were dead - killed by a Jedi hunter sent by my own grandfather, my own blood, the most wicked man in the entire galaxy. If it wasn't for Finn, or the Resistance, I would've never left that planet."

"What does that have to-"

"Rey," Ben touches her shoulder but she flinches away from his hand. "I'm not finished. There are a lot of innocent people who also have _nothing_ right now. An entire galaxy that needs to heal because of the Order's regime-"

"I'm well aware of that." Hux spat.

Rey got to her feet, seething with a rage she hadn't felt in a long time. "Are you? I gave my life to make sure the galaxy was safe from Palpatine _forever_. He turned to ash right in front of me. _You_ were a spy out of spite for another man whose leadership you didn't agree with- like some greedy politician."

Hux floundered for a retort. " _Gave your life_?! You're obviously still alive-"

"She's alive because of me." Ben interrupted in a low voice, placing his hand against Rey's back. "I gave my own life to save hers…because that was the only way I could atone for what I'd done…Armitage." He paused, gripping the hem of Rey's vest where only she could feel it. "So what will you do? If you're so concerned about saving the galaxy now..."

Rey could feel tears forming as she surrendered to the tug of Ben's grip. She collapsed back against the couch and slammed her eyes shut. "Rey…" Ben's voice was like an anchor, holding her steady so she wouldn't drift away.

When she opened her eyes, she found Hux's pale face gaping at her - as if he'd just seen a ghost. He only stared, his eyes wide with shock, no, _fear_ , as he processed what Ben had revealed to him. _He gets it now. He understands that neither of us should have survived this war._

_He understands that we should be dead._

Rey tipped her head back as her head began to throb in pain. She'd forgotten how volatile the Force felt on this strange planet and how uncomfortable it was to close herself off from Ben after days of being so open. She rubbed at her forehead as she feels Ben placing a cup in her other hand.

She lifted the cup of tea to her lips, taking a small sip as she met Ben's gaze. His pleading eyes said enough and she slowly reopened her mind to him. Ben's tense shoulders sagged in relief as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. Rey offered him the smallest smile she could manage, taking another sip of her tea.

Hux was smart enough not to comment.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for another half hour before the rest of the group returned. Poe and Finn strolled in, bickering quietly with each other as they passed through the doors. "I don't want to tell them-" "Well I'm not going to do it!"

"Oh get out of the way-" Rose push past them, putting her hands on her hips. "So we got good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"

Hux spares a glance at Ben and Rey, almost as if he doesn't know if he's allowed to answer for them. "I-" "Please don't hesitate at our expense…" Ben rolls his eyes. _The sooner he's gone the better._ Rey nods soft enough so that only Ben would notice.

"Well…" Rose winces - as she was the one who could read their minds. Or maybe their disdain was just that obvious. "The good news is no one has to go on trial!" She shoots Hux a thumbs up.

"And the bad news?" He grimaces like he already knows what's coming next. "Well personally I don't think it's that bad - it certainly could be worse. I'm sure it depends on who you ask-" Rose bit her lip. "Rose," Finn cut in. "I think I deserve the reaction from here." "Fine."

Finn takes a breath. "The council has deemed it acceptable that Hux remain under the Resistance's supervision…until it can be determined that it is safe to abolish his status as a war criminal. Which again - _you're welcome_ in advance-" "My idea!" Poe adds.

Rey can already sense Ben's reaction brewing between them. _This is not going to end well._

"So…" Finn continues. "Until that day…or cycle…arrives, Hux cannot be released and is to remain under our watch… _indefinitely_. Since we don't have plans to throw you in a cell…that means…well…"

"That means you're stuck with us. Welcome to the Resistance Hugs!" Poe pats Finn on the back. "Nice try. We'll work on your delivery."

Hux makes a pathetic attempt to get to his feet, nearly tripping on his injured leg. "You can't be serious. I have to…live with you?!"

Rose is already at his side, seemingly concerned about his leg. She shrugs her shoulders, reaching down to clean up the tea tray. "We really didn't have much of a choice. Besides, we can't leave you to rot in some cell where someone could try to hurt you. It's for the best."

Hux paused, his sharp features softening as he looked down at the smaller woman. Rey paid close attention as he processed her words. If there was one thing she'd learned about the First Order, it was that mercy came with a price. _Had anyone ever helped General Hux just because it was the right thing to do?_

Glancing beside her, Rey catches Ben making a similar observation. He turned his attention to her and offered her a smile. She could still sense his dread - ever-present through everything that just happened. There was something else he wanted to discuss with her- more than he was willing to let on around friends.

"So what-" Hux sputtered. "Am I just supposed to-to sit around and babysit them?" Hux gestured towards Ben and Rey. Rose snorted at this. "I was thinking something more along the lines of intel work. Those files I gave you earlier were just the beginning - there are so many old scans you could help me decipher…if you wanted too." Another pause between them as Hux blinked. "If you feel safer staying in a cell - I'm sure we could get that arranged…but that Falcon is a little cramped."

Rey could feel Ben leaning into her as they watch Hux calculate his next move. He nodded his head sharply. "I'm sure…I can be of some assistance…if that can reconcile for what I've done in the past."

That was not what anyone was expecting. Poe and Finn snap their attention to them as they hear the tail end of his response. Rose claps her hands together, doing little to hide her overwhelming excitement. "Great! Chewie's already warming up the ship so we're ready to leave when you all are! Poe, Finn, let's move!"

Rose hurries away, with the slightest skip in her step. Hux, once again, spares a glance towards Ben and Rey. "Is she always…so cheerful?"

"Always." Ben pauses. "But I'm sure you'll get used to it."

Hux snorts at his remark and begins to hobble towards the door. Rey watches the man leave as Ben leans back against the couch. "Well, that was…different…. Shall we?" Rey only nods and accepts his help getting off the couch. They clasp their hands together and follow the rest of the group through the back halls of the citadel. She accepts Chewie's half-hug along the way as he growls about how much he still hates politics. Ben earns a comforting pat on the shoulder over Rey's head as well. They did well, he's proud of them.

Once aboard the Falcon, Rey takes the lead and makes their escape to her quarters, knowing Ben is a step behind her. Before he can even shut the door, Rey collapses on her bunk, groaning into the musty sheets. She can feel Ben take a seat beside her, his fingers drifting against her scalp. Ben waits until after the ship is airborne before he speaks. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just lost a fight…" Rey turns on her side, staring at the seams on Ben's trousers. "I haven't lost control like that…not since…"

That fateful day on Pasanna flashes between them instantly- with the horrifying revelation that Rey could use her power in such an alarming way. Those feelings she'd had when she thought she'd used her power - her gifts in the dark side of the Force - to hurt Chewie. Something else, something new caught her attention in the shared memory. _Wonder. Fascination._

_Adoration._

Ben had been there too of course. He'd been the one to push her to that point - completely unaware of what he'd witness. "You never lost control, Rey. You were just using your power in a different way. There was nothing bad about what you did today."

"I tore into his mind without his consent. He felt it."

"But it didn't hurt him. You know what that feels like…" Ben's fingers graced along her hairline. "You used your power for good. You used your own experience and your own pain…and you did the right thing."

"Then why do I feel so awful?" Rey groaned as her headache throbbed against her skull.

"I'd put credits on the bit where you closed off your mind for hours on end for the first time in…? How long?"

"Too long." Rey tucked her arms under her head. "And I haven't been meditating enough this week."

"That's what I thought." Ben sat up and shrugged his jacket off, laying it across Rey's back. "Get some rest. If you need to sleep I'll carry you back into the house."

"And subject you to more commentary from our new housemate? I'll spare you - I'm not that tired."

"I'm sure Commander Tico will keep him plenty _busy_." Ben snorted. "That's not funny-" Rey pushed up on her elbows, ignored the throbbing of her head. "Don't even joke about that Ben Solo that's not funny!" She giggled, despite herself.

"Are you kidding? Did you see the way he looked at her when she bossed him around? She has him wrapped around her finger-" Ben leaned closer. "If you ask me I think he's always had a thing for stronger women. I remember he nearly lost himself the first time we ever saw Phasma without her-" Rey gasped. "Ben!" "Helmet! I was going to say helmet! Kriff-" Ben's head tipped back as he laughed lightly.

"I'm tired- leave me be." Rey groaned, dropping his gaze. "I'd bet you you're wrong."

"Oh, you would?" Ben smirked down at her. "What's on the table then? There's only so much to offer since we're so completely in lo-" He stopped himself short, biting his cheek as he leaned against the bunk. "But indulge me?" He recovered as a boyish blush formed along his cheeks.

Rey could feel herself blushing too as she let her head rest against her palms. "I bet…they will just get on as friends and when I am right you…" Rey grins. "You have to give me that holo of you as a baby. _That's_ my wager."

"And when I win?" Ben looked down at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Rey shrugs, ignoring the way her entire body seemed to shiver. "That's up to you."

"If I win, you have to wear your hair down for an entire…week. Every hour of every day." "A week?! No- a day!"

"Not a chance- I've made my choice," Ben smirks. "Do we have a deal?" He extends his hand towards her. Rey rolls her eyes before shaking it. "You're on Solo."

"You'll look so beautiful with your hair down. Maybe we can find some flowers to put in it." Rey scoffed, tucking herself back down against the bunk. "In your dreams." She let her eyes shut.

_You already are-_

Rey smiles, knowing full well he can see her doing so. For the first time since that morning, Rey felt completely at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *jazz hands* That was ANGSTY wasn't it?! Dang. As you can tell this took me a minute to really iron out. I was also drowning in some personal stuff and summer classes that had to take up most of my computer time. But I hope the wait was worth it! I really enjoyed working on this chapter. I also learned that no - I cannot watch Hamilton and write my story at the same time! So if you've got a bone to pick with my upload schedule I humbly advise you to consult Disney+ for that one!
> 
> Here are some notes!:
> 
> \- I've realized a LOT of my chapters end with Rey sleeping. The girl deserves all the naps after what she's been through. Good for her. Her outfit this chapter was inspired by [this concept art on Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/858780222667913981/) with the tunic falling slightly lower on her thighs
> 
> \- I've very VERY slightly dipped into the realm of "what kind of Jedi will Rey and Ben become" which I think is really interesting for what I have outlined later. YES, they were talking about Ahsoka - I have yet to watch Clone Wars in its entirety so I obviously didn't want to discredit her in any way. I enjoy the idea that in his findings Ben would've discovered that Anakin had a Padawan, or maybe he just learned about who she was from Vader's archives and didn't fully recognize her relationship with his family! Both were equally interesting to me and became the inspiration for that reference.
> 
> \- Obviously there's going to be some implied Hux/Rose from here on out. I really liked the dynamic I got started for them. Hux gives me big "and that's my WIFE!" energy (iykyk) and I got this headcanon that Rose would be fascinated with the schematics of Starkiller Base as a ship vs being a planet-killing weapon. She is an engineer after all! So I really like that for them.
> 
> \- I also realized I may have diverted from the canon in terms of Kylo learning Hux was the spy? I haven't been in the mood to rewatch TROS lately but I don't recall it ever getting mentioned. Pryde says 'alert the Supreme Leader' but we also know Ben had a lot going on. So for our sakes, I'll just say he got told "the spy has been dealt with" and didn't care enough at the moment to hear the details! That works for me.
> 
> Stay safe out there! Thank you so much for reading!


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